Third Time Lucky?
by The94Fairy
Summary: First Seo Hyun then Jan Di, Ji Hoo lost in love both times. Now there's a new woman in his life. Will he lose in love again or will he be Third Time Lucky?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is my first fanfic and I'm so excited! Please give lots of reviews and comments. Thank You.**

CHAPTER 1

(Picking up from where BBF ended)

Ji Hoo's POV

They were all standing on the beach watching the sun set in the horizon. All the guys were remembering how much their lives had changed in the last five years because of a special someone called Guem Jan Di. Ji Hoo was wondering the same thing. How a little commoner, a transfer student at Shinhwa had changed him and his life forever.

He always regretted that he had not given attention to Jan Di's feelings from the start, otherwise, he would be the one holding her is his arms, marrying her, not Gu Jun Pyo. Sometimes he felt that it was unfair that in the end Jan Di loved Jun Pyo and not him, after all, _he _was her fireman, her first love, her soul mate. But life had never been fair for him; he had known that long before Jan Di had come into their lives.

They were all going to a club owned by Woo Bin's family to celebrate Jan Di's and Jun Pyo's engagement and he had felt like skipping, but knew that if he didn't go everyone would be worried and not enjoy themselves. Today he was finally loosing Jan Di and had just wanted to stuff himself with pancakes till all his sorrows vanished. But he knew too well that today even pancakes won't do him any good; Jan Di's memories were linked to his comfort food too. The only refuge he saw was the company of his friends and some strong alcohol.

Ga Eul also joined them in the evening and the whole gang kept celebrating till midnight. After that they slowly started going back. First Yi Jung and Ga Eul left; the two new official lovebirds needed some definite alone time; then Gu Jun Pyo and Jan Di left. Afterwards Woo Bin also left with a girl from the club, but only after telling the manager to keep an eye on Ji Hoo. He knew that his friend needed to be left alone, but was also worried that he might do something stupid.

Ji Hoo was sitting alone, sulking and drowning his sorrows in glass after glass of scotch. He was feeling a lot dizzy by now and was wondering if he would even be able to call a cab and reach home safely. He paid his tab and started getting up from his stool when everything started revolving and he collapsed on the floor. The last things he remembered were a pair of big brown eyes looking down at his and some words in a language he didn't understand.

Mandy's POV

She was seriously reconsidering her idea of transferring from the States to South Korea to finish off her medical studies. Why South Korea out of all the places in the world? She came from a wealthy background and could have bought her way anywhere. It had been a decision taken at a time when there was only one thing on her mind – she had to leave that country. She had remembered that she had become sort of friends with the Foreign Exchange students from a university in Seoul last semester and they had seemed like a friendly bunch. It had seemed like a better option than going just anywhere.

But now was not the time to recall all that. She was supposed to be 'celebrating' her arrival in South Korea. She had somehow contacted one of the girls from the group, Hae Jin, and had given the news of her transfer. Hae Jin had come to receive her at the airport and on the ride to Mandy's apartment; she had convinced Mandy somehow that they should go to a club to celebrate, even though Mandy didn't drink. Now she was seriously regretting for caving in. She was now stuck with a very drunk Hae Jin who it seemed was enjoying herself to the fullest. She might have enjoyed herself too if she freaking understood the language! One thing to be sure of when you transfer: at least know the language!

She was an Indian(coming from a wealthy background ensured that she could afford to live in a foreign country on her own) and being brought up in an environment where English was spoken just as commonly and fluently as other languages of the area, she knew the language quite well; but don't even ask about Korean.

With the help of the manager of the club, who thankfully understood English, she got hold of a cab and deposited Hae Jin in it; she was going to drop her home. She was about to get in the cab herself when she realized that she had left her purse inside the club. She retrieved it from the booth they were sitting in and started walking towards the exit when she saw a person who was sitting at the bar had fallen down. On instinct she ran to help him.

The person in question was a guy of about her age, with dyed blond hair and was dressed very well. His face, it seemed, was a piece of marble; perfectly sculpted with definite lines of the face, and she felt herself being mesmerized by it as she exclaimed in her native tongue. When she came back from her trance, she checked his pulse and saw that he had just fallen unconscious because of the alcohol he had consumed. The manager again came to her rescue and put her out of doubts regarding the person's safety when he said that he knew him personally. 'He must be a regular here then', she thought and went outside.

Outside, she somehow got the cab driver to understand where she wanted to go. She sat in the backseat, watching the twinkling lights of the city of Seoul pass by and hoped that this new country would bring happiness for her.

**Do remember to review and comment. Thanks**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Ji Hoo's POV

He woke up the next morning late, which he never was, with an imploding headache and a massive hangover. He felt like someone had hit his head with a hammer. He ran into the bathroom, had a quick cold shower, put on the first thing he got his hands on, grabbed an apple from the fridge and ran to his car, which had been delivered to his home last night courtesy the manager of the club. He had to remind Woo Bin to give him a raise.

He reached class just in time and the professor had just come in after him. The class settled down and the teacher introduced a new student who had just transferred from the US. It was not the usual protocol for a student to get a transfer in the final year, but one of the few things he had learnt in his world was that anything can be bought with money. The person in question was a girl of about 5'7", slim with strong built with a wheatish complexion, big brown doe eyes, full lips and a cute button nose. She had waist long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and was dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a t-shirt. Her name was Mandy. Her eyes roamed the classroom but never met anyone's too long. She finally looked at Ji Hoo and her already big eyes went wide with surprise as if she somehow recognized him. 'Probably another F4 fan' he thought. She covered it up quickly and smiled a Mona Lisa smile as if the most amusing thing in the world had happened during that boring intro the teacher was giving. All this while Ji Hoo noticed that the teacher was talking to her in English and then he turned to the class and explained that she didn't know Korean and the students good in English were to help her out. Being the only one who knew the language well enough to converse fluently (he had been a student at Julliard), the teacher requested Ji Hoo to help her out. To make the matter even better (read worse) she had all the same classes as him. 'Great, just great' thought Ji Hoo.

She plopped down on the seat next to him and kept glancing towards him from the corner of her eye. "What?" asked Ji Hoo "Nothing" she simply replied and kept flashing that knowing smile.

'Ugh, if she is another one of those star struck clingy girls then I'm going to slit my wrists' he thought. His patience that day was just on the brink of breaking. He was not in the mood to handle another nuisance. Little did he know that his life was going to be a roller coaster ride because of her and he would love every bit of it...

Mandy's POV

She reached her first class way early than anyone else. Nobody was around so she started checking up on her family and friends back home on FB and laughed as she saw some funny pictures of her niece which had been uploaded by her sister. She loved her niece the most in the world; anyone who knew her knew that fact. She loved her family and friends overall and would die for them if the need arose; but if she had to chose between them, it would undoubtedly be her niece.

Slowly everyone started filing in one by one. Everyone gave her curious glances but no one approached her. At last a person came running in and after that the teacher came. He asked her to come and stand with him and started talking to the class in Korean. Her name came up (her actual name was a bit long and difficult to pronounce, so when she went to the US, she insisted that everyone call her Mandy rather than getting her name wrong and had requested the teachers here to call her that too). 'Probably introducing me, let's check out the class till then' she thought. She was watching each one with little attention but then she saw a familiar head rising to acknowledge her. The face she saw was one she quickly recognized from last night. The face of her Korean Devdas (Devdas can be seen as the Indian contemporary of Romeo). She had noticed him last night sneaking glances at one of the girls in the group that was with him. Both of the girls were very pretty, but it was obvious that they were taken, seeing how two guys of the same group were revolving around them like moon to the earth and the girls were equally attached. The group of people looked like they were quite famous at the club too because everyone kept looking at them and talking in whispers to their friends. Even Hae Jin had looked at the guys dreamily.

It would be an understatement if she said that she was surprised to see him here. It was indeed a small world. She saw that he didn't even give her a second glance. 'So he doesn't remember me. And if I'm hearing correctly he is also given the duty to help me out. Oh! This is going to be fun' she thought.

She went and sat next to him and smiled and looked at him through the corner of her eyes, thinking what the future would be like. And she definitely wanted to know more about her Korean Devdas's love problems; she had this gut feeling that he needed her to relieve him of the pain he was in. Just in which way she could help was still to be seen.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Ji Hoo's POV

He had been an ass to her; a big ass. And he didn't know how to amend the mistake that he had made. 'It was not her fault that she did not know Korean. She was just asking simple questions related to classes', but his headache had made him snap at her because her simple questions felt like nagging back then. It was at the end of the day and Mandy was just confirming if what she had understood in the class was correct or not. He still remembered the look on her face; it was a look of hurt and disappointment. Even though she had very coolly said "You should have told me if you were uncomfortable with the arrangement. I'll ask someone else to help me and will not bother you anymore", it had showed in that split second before she had covered up. And he was feeling guilty as hell for that.

He was pacing in the F4 lounge when his friends came in for the emergency meeting he had called in. He had asked them to bring Jan Di and Ga Eul too, because he needed the girls' opinion on how to mend this.

When he retold the whole incident, all of them started reprimanding him.

"Sunbae, that was a bit too harsh" said Jan Di "You should apologize to her the first thing in the morning"

" Yah! Yoon Ji Hoo, is that the way to talk to someone?" shouted Gu Jun Pyo.

"Ji Hoo-ah, you have always been the calm one. Didn't expect this from you bro." said Woo Bin

"You should apologize to her and make her feel welcome to our country. She must be feeling lonely here with no friends and on top of that she doesn't even know our language. Maybe you could take her to have lunch or give her some chocolates or something" spoke up Ga Eul.

All this time, Ga Eul was listening to all of them scold Ji Hoo for his behavior and she had already contemplated a plan to help him get an apology.

"Won't that be overdoing it a bit Jagiya?" interjected Yi Jung.

"Yah! Try to put yourself in her position and then ask me if it is overdoing it a bit or not" pouted Ga Eul. She really felt for Mandy and thought that she needed a grand apology.

"Well you said that she might be feeling lonely here, so why not introduce her to us and then she would have some new friends" suggested Woo Bin.

Everyone agreed that this was a nice idea, but the girls still felt that Ji Hoo should give her something as a token of apology.

He would have to get creative in this one, Ji Hoo thought to himself.

Mandy's POV

The next day in recess, she was sitting under a tree, listening to her ipod and eating an apple.

"You know that is not enough for the remainder of the day". She looked up and saw her Korean Devdas smiling down at her, looking like an angel dressed in white from head to toe and holding some kind of box. But she held back the smile, which was slowly starting to creep on her face, when she remembered his rude behavior the day before. She just turned her face and kept on munching on her apple.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. Please accept these lunch boxed pancakes as a symbol of my apology" said Ji Hoo, placing a black Tiffin box in front of her.

"I cannot eat these" she started saying, but Ji Hoo interrupted her "Look I know I was an ass yesterday, please accept my apology, and forgive me"

"Apology was accepted when you said it the first time; it's just that I cannot eat these pancakes"

"But why?" asked Ji Hoo

"I am a vegetarian." After hearing this Ji Hoo burst out in laughter. Mandy also started laughing with him.

"And how did you even lunch box pancakes?" asked Mandy, continuing laughing.

"Well this is the only thing I know how to make, and it is good that you didn't eat them because they would've been all soggy by now. I should've thought this through." He said scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry; it's the thought that counts. And it's the first time anyone has put in such effort to apologize to me. Mostly people just give me a box of chocolates. I mean I love chocolates, who doesn't? But they just seem as fake apologies."

Ji Hoo was feeling very glad now to have not taken Ga Eul's advice on chocolates.

"Well you do drink coffee, don't you?" asked Ji Hoo, just to be sure.

She simply smiled and nodded.

"Well then let's go. I know a great café nearby where you can also grab something to eat. Why were you not eating a proper lunch anyway?"

"I didn't know what was what in the cafeteria menu and so didn't know what to eat" she said weakly.

Ji Hoo looked at her expression and felt his stomach knot. He realized that Ga Eul was right in one thing, Mandy was lonely. All she needed was someone who could make her feel welcome.

"From now on eat lunch with me, I'll tell you what you can eat and what not. Okay?" she smiled brightly at this proposition and nodded enthusiastically.

"You know, you didn't have to do so much. I should have been more considerate regarding your health and should've known that you would have a hangover, considering the large amounts of scotch you were downing the night before." She said.

"Wait, how did you know I had scotch the night before?" asked a confused Ji Hoo.

"I was there that night in the club when you drunk yourself to unconsciousness, Devdas. I even checked your pulse to ensure that you were okay." She said, grinning like a fool.

"Oh, so that's why you that Mona Lisa smile plastered on your face the whole day yesterday"

"Mona Lisa smile?" she asked.

"Yes, you know the I-know-something-you-don't-know smile."

"I didn't know I had one" she said, truly surprised at the observation.

"Well you do. And what did you call me before? De-what?"

"Devdas"

"What does that mean?"

"What am I, an encyclopedia? Find out on your own if you are so curious." She said getting up from her spot. She started walking towards the front gate and said turning back to Ji Hoo, who was still fixed in his spot, thinking about something, it seemed "Are you going to take me to that café or not?"

He shifted from his position and smiled at her. Then grasped her hand and led her to his car.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"What would you like to have?" asked Ji Hoo.

He and Mandy had come to a café near their campus to grab something quick to eat.

"An iced cappuccino with 4 teaspoons of sugar and a sub sandwich on parmesan oregano bread with cucumbers, pickled olives, onions and mayonnaise." She said, as if it was on the tip of her tongue.

Ji Hoo chuckled. "That was quite specific."

Mandy turned an embarrassed red when she realized her mistake, the café might not have all those things and she was sure she had sounded like a snob to Ji Hoo. "I'm sorry, a cold coffee and a veggie sandwich please."

"Why did you change your order?" asked Ji Hoo

"I thought the café didn't have those things and I also didn't want to sound like a spoiled brat" she said with a small voice.

Ji Hoo chucked, gave the waiter the order, who bowed and then left and turned to face Mandy.

"You know there is nothing wrong with knowing exactly what you want."

She looked up from her lap and just kept looking at Ji Hoo.

"And they did have all the things you wanted so don't worry"

She then smiled at him gratefully and clapped happily when the waiter came with their order. Ji Hoo was just having a cup of espresso.

"I feel bad eating alone, please eat something too" insisted Mandy.

"I already ate so I'm not hungry, you eat" said Ji Hoo.

"So, Ji Hoo, tell me something about you." Mandy had just finished her sub and started on her cappuccino when she said this.

"What do you want to know?"

"You know, the usual; about your family, your friends, your interests, your love life" she asked the last parts while wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well my parents died in a car crash when I was five, my grandpa left me because of that but I got back with him four years ago."

Mandy couldn't react to what he had said and said so simply.

He continued on with his monologue.

"I have the three best friends in the world and together we are called the F4."

"The what?" Mandy asked with a quizzical brow on her face.

"The F4. Or Flower 4." Ji Hoo elaborated.

"Huh?! What? Why?" Mandy prodded, thoroughly confused.

"Uh! You'll find out sooner than later…." Ji Hoo repeated casually.

"Anyway, moving on, we have known each other since kindergarten and are still very tight knit. They were the only family I knew when I was young." Ji Hoo continued.

"But how did you fend for yourself if your grandfather left you?" Mandy had tried to keep quiet but she just had to ask.

And in the next 45 minutes what followed was the 'The Life of Yoon Ji Hoo' till date, in brief.

"And we all decided to go celebrate their engagement." Ji Hoo had never felt so relieved to share his feelings with anybody. Why hadn't he done this before? He thought and realized that other than F4 and Jan Di, he didn't really talk to anyone.

The thought of Jan Di had brought a grim look on his face and Mandy knew that it was time to stop their little chat.

"OMG we will be late for our next class if we don't rush now." Ji Hoo caught on with what she was trying to do and smiled gratefully at her. They got up and walked to the car.

Even in the short ride back, Mandy understood that he wanted to be left alone, so she didn't utter a word. They walked into the building and Ji Hoo collided with a girl with pigtails at whom, Mandy realized, Ji Hoo was sneaking glances at the club. 'So this is my Korean Devdas's Jan Di' she thought, giving the girl a full over. She then ran after Ji Hoo, who after seeing Jan Di, had started walking very fast towards the classroom.

He took a corner seat at the back and Mandy sat in the chair next to him. For the first 2 seconds nothing happened, and then suddenly Mandy hugged him from sideways. She didn't ask him anything, nor did she say anything. They just sat there hugging, and Ji Hoo was much grateful for it. When everyone started filing in, they resumed their positions. During the whole class Ji Hoo kept sneaking glances at Mandy, thinking why he had felt compelled to tell her his life story. As for Mandy, she was just happy to find a friend in this unknown place.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Mandy's POV

It was the weekend and she was trying to watch some TV but gave a frustrated sigh when she realized that none of the channels were in languages she understood. She was getting quite bored sitting all alone in her apartment. Hae Jin had offered to share her apartment with her, but Mandy had politely declined. It was not that she didn't like Hae Jin; she just liked her personal space too much. Just then her school best friend, Niya called her. She smiled at the phone, remembering that she must be calling to check up on her. Niya knew Mandy too well and knew all her secrets. She always knew the ways to cheer her up. 'Just what I needed' thought Mandy cheerfully.

"Hey babe, what's up?" greeted Mandy

"Nothing much, just frustrated with my life. The usual you know"

Niya was a legal consultant for a construction firm.

They talked for a full hour, talking about anything and everything. After she hung up, Mandy decided to start up on dinner. She didn't feel like cooking much, so it would be ramen noodles for her. That was the one thing that she ate whenever she didn't feel like cooking.

She had just put the water on the stove when her phone started ringing again. "Who could it be now?" she wondered loudly.

'Korean Devdas' her phone screen flashed. She was confused on why he was calling her at this time.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ji Hoo?"

"Yeah"

"So what's up?"

"Have you had dinner?"

"Huh?"

"Have you already had dinner or not?"

"Uh no, why?"

"Great! Get ready; I'm taking you to dinner"

"What?"

"Oh, and text me your address after this call"

"Ji hoo, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm taking you to dinner, as simple as that. So get ready and text me your address. I'll come pick you up" he explained slowly each step, as if explaining to a five year old.

Mandy was totally confused on what was going on and why suddenly this plan of dinner, but she had understood this much that Ji Hoo won't budge from his decision.

"Where are we going?" she asked feeling defeated

"To one of my favorite Italian restaurants"

"What's the dress code?" she asked

Ji Hoo was first confused at her question but quickly answered "Casual but a little dressy"

He had been confused at her question because he was always dressed that way, be it anywhere he had to go.

"What's the occasion? Anything special?"

"I would just like you to meet someone"

"Huh?", but he had already hung up.

She was totally baffled by his behavior but switched off the stove and went to her bedroom to get ready.

Ji Hoo's POV

He was sitting in a corner at the F4 lounge, listening to music from his headphones. Woo Bin and Yi Jung were playing at the pool table and Jun Pyo was competing against Jan Di in the car racing videogame. Ga Eul was supporting Jan Di from the background. All in all a normal evening.

Then Yi Jung approached the gaming area and spoke something and all the heads started nodding in agreement. Woo Bin came and stood in front of Ji Hoo and took off his headphones.

"Yah, Ji Hoo-ah, we are all going out for dinner to your favorite restaurant. Wanna go?"

"No I don't feel like it. You all go and enjoy."

"But Sunbae" Jan Di spoke up "it's your favorite restaurant and you have to eat something anyways, so please come"

"Can I invite someone then?" he asked

Ji Hoo's question earned him dumbfounded stares from the gang.

"Yo, our Ji Hoo has got himself a new girl people" said Woo Bin, grinning like a fool.

"It's not what you think. It's just a friend."

"Mandy sunbae?" inquired Jan Di

Ji Hoo nodded his head

If he was going to witness another cozy evening between Jan Di and Jun Pyo, it would be better if he had some extra emotional support.

"Oh, so we finally get to meet the famous Mandy" said Woo Bin playfully "maybe I could go pick her up personally huh?"

"Yah! Song Woo Bin, stay away from her, arasso. She is the first normal friend I've had after a long time. Don't mess it up for me."

After hearing this comment Jun Pyo started shouting at the top of his voice "Yah! Ji Hoo. What do you mean normal? Am I not normal?"

Jan Di slapped Jun Pyo on the back of his head and said "Yah! Everyone knows you are not normal." Everyone laughed as Jun Pyo and Jan Di started bickering like school kids.

Ji Hoo went ahead of everyone saying that they should get ready and not wait for him and reach beforehand. He would go pick up Mandy and meet them at the restaurant.

That had happened 30 minutes ago.

He was now waiting in his car outside the apartment building where Mandy lived. He had texted her a minute ago to ask her to come down. When she showed up, he was quite surprised to see her all dressed up in sophisticated clothes. Her whole personality had changed. She looked like a confident woman out to take on the world in her khaki pencil pants, midnight blue top and beige jacket paired with brown ankle length low heeled boots, a sling bag and chunky gold earrings matching the print on her top. She completed her look with some sort of messy yet sophisticated side bun with kohl in her eyes and just a touch of cinnamon lip color.

"Do I not look okay?" Mandy asked Ji Hoo when she saw his reaction.

"Um, yeah, um, you look different"

"Good different or bad different?"

"Good different"

"Oh, then it's okay"

"How would you have reacted if I said you looked bad?"

"I would've gone back to my apartment to change" she simply said.

Ji Hoo just chuckled and pinched her cheeks lightly. "Let's go"


	6. Chapter 6

**I translated the Spanish part using a translator app, so if the grammar is not correct, please forgive me.**

CHAPTER 6

They reached the restaurant in 15 minutes. Everyone was already seated and chatting and laughing. When Ji Hoo reached the table, the guys greeted him joyfully. Mandy was till then hidden behind Ji Hoo's tall frame. He stepped aside and introduced her to the gang and each one in the group to her. After the introductory 'HI s' were said, Woo Bin got up from his seat and walked to Mandy, took both her hands in his, kissed them and said "Es un placer conocerte al fin Senorita" ('it's a pleasure to finally meet you miss' in Spanish). Yi Jung had misled Woo Bin and said that she was of Latin descent, and no one had corrected him. They all had been waiting for this moment when F4's Don Juan made a fool of himself in front of a girl.

The whole group started laughing loudly and Yi Jung was clutching his stomach to stop the pain he got from laughing. Woo Bin was confused as to what was going on.

Mandy put the poor guy out of his misery. "Umm, I'm actually an Indian… but I'm flattered that F4's Don Juan would actually mistake me for a Latina. Really, I'm flattered."

Woo Bin turned 10 shades of red from embarrassment and started sending his best friends death glares, but in the end joined in the joke.

Ji Hoo was on translation duty for the night. The conversation on the table was going on in English mainly, to make Mandy feel comfortable. But whenever something was said in Korean between the friends, Ji Hoo translated that for her.

The conversation had drifted towards how the F4's lives were full of drama. "Can you even imagine the number of Bollywood movies that could be produced from the collective drama of your lives?" said Mandy jokingly.

Suddenly she heard Ga Eul exclaim "Shahrukh Khan!"

This caught Mandy's attention and she was now very curious as to how this girl knew about the famous Indian actor.

"I watch the versions with subtitles. I love the drama, and the whole background makes it feel like I am watching a musical."

Mandy smiled at this, feeling proud that her country's culture was spreading to other parts of the world.

"I even got my DDLJ moment" Ga Eul said

"Which one?" Mandy asked

"You know the large fields of yellow flowers that Simran was in; I got mine at Jeju Island" Ga Eul said "Even though it was at a inconvenient time" she added sadly

This whole talk led to discussion about the vast culture of India. Mandy very animatedly explained how different regions had different cuisines, languages, religions, costumes and customs. India was just a big boiling pot of everything under the sun.

Mandy was explaining about how, in India, every 20 kms or so, languages changed their form.

"So what all languages do you speak?" asked an excited Woo Bin.

"I actually speak only Hindi and Punjabi. Punjabi, is my home language, I talk in it with generally the elders in the family and with my friends I talk in Hindi and English both. But I can understand the basis of the talk in other dialects of Hindi."

"Mandy, I have seen quite a few movies to understand that 'Mandy' is not really a common name there. What's the story behind it?" inquired Ga Eul

"Well this is not my real name" Mandy started explaining "my real name is quite a mouthful. I mean for you guys. I got christened Mandy by my school friends, because my name seemed similar. When I went to the States, I told people to call me Mandy only rather than getting my name wrong and I continued that here too."

"So what's your name then?" asked Yi Jung

"Oh it's quite a mouthful for you guys, so let's just leave it"

"I'm too interested now to let go, tell us" demanded Jun Pyo

"It's Mandeep Kaur; m-a-n-d-e-e-p k-a-u-r"

"Like Man and Deep together" stated Woo Bin

"Yes, but it's not pronounced like that. See that's why I used Mandy, it was easier for everyone"

"What does it mean? Your name" asked Ji Hoo

"Man can be roughly called heart and Deep means lamp; my name thus means light of the soul"

"It's very pretty with an unusual meaning" said Yi Jung

"Well it may have an unusual ring to it but the name's actually quite common back home. I remember when I was in 3rd grade; I had two guys named Mandeep in my class."

"Boys and girls have same names in India?" asked Jun Pyo

"No no no, it's not like that. Like I said before, cultures vary from region to region. By knowing anyone's name you can tell which region, religion and/or community the person belongs to. In the religion that I follow; boys and girls are differentiated by their second names. Just like you and your sister have same first names; Jun Pyo and Jun Hee. Likewise girls and boys can have same first names. What is different is the second name; Singh in case of boys and Kaur in the case of girls."

"But don't ask me what they mean and denote. That would take us the whole night. I once started explaining it to one of my school mates. Took me a whole day to describe the history behind it; was quite a memory booster for me too if you ask. Cleared out the cobwebs that were setting in on the unused info" Mandy was remembering how she had gone on and on about her culture when one of her friends had lightly asked what her name meant. Quite an incident that was…

"You miss home?" this was the first thing Jan Di spoke directly to Mandy that evening. She had seen the sadness in the other girl's eyes when she talked about her past.

Mandy almost burst in tears. She had been missing her home even before Ji Hoo had called her that evening and now talking about it made it even worse.

There was a catch in her throat and misty eyes when she gave a weak 'yes' as a reply.

Seeing her like this Ji Hoo got up from his seat, knelt down next to hers and hugged her sideways and rubbed her arm. She turned in his direction and hugged him fully, but didn't let go of herself. This was not the place to break down. Everyone was surprised by Ji Hoo's actions; even Ji Hoo himself was surprised by his actions but didn't read too much into it.

"Are you okay? Do you want to go home now?" Ji Hoo asked

She nodded once. Ji Hoo got up and helped her stand.

Mandy turned towards everyone else and started apologizing for ruining their evening, but was cut-off by Jun Pyo. "There is no need to apologize, we understand. I was gone for 4 years and only got back recently, so I understand your feelings."

"Wow, Jun Pyo actually saying sensible things, this is a rare moment" said Yi Jung. Everyone started laughing and Jun Pyo as usual, flipped out.

"Well how about I take you to a nice Indian restaurant for dinner sometime, huh?" said Woo Bin in a completely sincere way. There wasn't a hint of mischief in his words.

"That would be nice" Mandy said smiling weakly.

"It's a date then" he added playfully.

"Ok, I think we should be going now" started Ji Hoo. He took Mandy's hand in his and dragged her out of the restaurant. She was too surprised to act first but came to her senses and pulled Ji Hoo to a stop at the entrance of the parking lot.

"What was that?" Mandy demanded; she didn't understand the sudden change in his mood.

"Stay away from him"

"Huh?"

"Woo Bin, stay away from him. He might seem harmless but don't forget that he is dubbed as F4's Don Juan."

"Whoa, wait a minute; you don't believe your best friend?"

"It's not that I don't believe him; it's just that he doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to girls. He has trampled on too many a hearts to count. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy indeed but that's exactly it; he's a guys' guy but when it comes to girls, if history is anything to go by, all he's ever left behind is a trail of broken hearts and tear stained tissues. As a friend I'm warning you to not get too friendly with him." He couldn't believe he was saying things like this for his best friend. It was just that Woo Bin had seemed a little too interested in her and Ji Hoo didn't want to see her get hurt.

"First off, I appreciate the gesture, thank you. But that was not the way to behave; don't ever do that again. Secondly, he is not my type. So don't worry. And thirdly, even if I was interested in him, it's none of your damn business. I am an adult and can make my own decisions; you are no one to take them for me."

There was no questioning that Mandy was pissed off by Ji Hoo's behavior. She was already sick of being treated like a baby by her family; she didn't need her friends to do the same.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." Ji Hoo had always been a very calm person, who thought before acting. But he just couldn't control his actions around Mandy. Being around her, made him fell relaxed yet edgy at the same time and this feeling was a new one, so he didn't know what to do about it.

"And thanks for inviting me to dinner, I enjoyed a lot." Mandy was hitting herself mentally for yelling at Ji Hoo like that and was trying to neutralize the situation. 'He was only looking out for me and didn't want to see me get hurt. He was being a good friend and I go and yell at him. Great' she thought.

"Well you seemed like a person who would like Italian" Ji Hoo said half heartedly as they were walking towards his car.

"Well as a matter of fact I do love eating Italian food and have been a fan for a very long time. So thanks again and sorry for back there; I shouldn't have reacted like that; you were only looking out for me."

"No, you don't need to apologize; you are right, I cannot make your decisions for you" and got into the car.

Mandy knew that she had hurt him by saying those words. 'He poured his heart out in front of me that day. He must be feeling dejected now, feeling like he wasn't considered a friend yet to show even a bit of protectiveness.'

As Ji Hoo kept on driving in silence, Mandy was kicking herself mentally. She didn't know how to mend things with him. Just as she had the thought, she saw the solution coming up on the side of the road.

"Ji Hoo, stop the car. NOW"

Her sudden proclamation made him hit the brakes so hard, that if they didn't have seatbelts on, both of them would have gone through the windshield.

**Anyone who is curious who Shahrukh Khan is can easily look him up on the net. But just a little piece of information: he was named the Goodwill Ambassador for South Korea recently!**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

As Ji Hoo hit the brakes, the car screeched to a halt. Thank God there weren't any cars around or there sure would have been an accident.

"Are you okay? What happened? Do you need something?"

"Yes"

"What do you need? Tell me, is everything okay?" Ji Hoo was nervous as to what had happened

"Everything's fine, don't worry"

"Then why did you tell me to stop the car?"

"I need ice cream, come on"

"Huh?"

Before Ji Hoo could say anything else, Mandy got out of car and started walking towards the ice cream parlor in front of them, which surprisingly was still open at this late hour. But when she saw that Ji Hoo had not budged from his spot, she went to his side, took the key out of ignition, stuffed it into her jacket pocket and dragged him by the hand to the shop.

"You know you could've caused an accident because of this" Ji Hoo was still acting a bit moody.

"Well nobody got hurt, so just chill okay. And choose a nice flavor of ice cream for me. I don't know which one is which and how they taste. These don't seem like the flavors we have back home."

"Oh, so now you are letting me make your decisions for you?"

Ji Hoo was still not over it and Mandy knew that very well. It was the reason she had come up with this plan. But seeing his cold demeanor towards her made her want to curl up in a ball and cry. But she got hold of herself.

"I am the youngest in my family and also I am the youngest in all my cousins on both my mother's and father's side." She started saying "As long as I can remember people have always tried to tell me what's best for me. What clothes to wear, which friends to have, which stream of studies to pursue; I have always had people making my decisions for me. But one day I realized that I was not living a life; I was going on a path traced by others for me. I was just a puppet of their wishes. So I told my parents one day and told for once and for all that I would make even the smallest decisions regarding my life myself and would not tolerate anyone's interference. I didn't get much support back then because I was too young. But I kept on pushing against other people's wishes and finally got my freedom. And it has been like that ever since. I don't let anyone, and hear me, ANYONE make my decisions for me, even if it is choosing an ice cream flavor. You are the first person in six years to get this privilege; use it as you may deem fit."

After saying this, Mandy walked out of the parlor.

Ji Hoo was left stunned after her declaration. He finally understood the weight of the issue and also the importance of the right she had given him. It felt like she had exposed a part of herself to him that she didn't show anyone.

'Ugh! How do always I end up to be the bad guy with her?' He let out a frustrated sigh. He ordered vanilla and chocolate flavored ice cream cups and went outside to find her with one cup in each hand.

He had seen her walk towards a park nearby when she had walked out. He entered the park and started walking towards the center of the area.

He heard her before he saw her.

She was sitting on the seat of the swing with her back in his direction and crying with her face in her hands.

Seeing her cry because of him, Ji Hoo felt like somebody had kicked him in the gut. 'I probably deserve it anyway' he thought and went towards his crying friend.

Mandy wasn't able to hear Ji Hoo's footsteps in the sound of her sobs and was about to scream for help when something suddenly came in front of her, but controlled herself when she saw a person with a blonde head, kneeling and continuously saying "I'm so sorry, please forgive me" again and again, with hands joined in front of him.

Ji Hoo's apologetic rant made her smile which later led to bring out a chuckle out of her. "Stupid guy" she said lightly.

Seeing that the situation had changed for the better, Ji Hoo stopped with his drivel and picked up the ice cream cups from where he had put them on the ground.

"Ice cream for the lady" and he put both the cups in front of her, smiling his enchanting smile.

"You know if every ice cream parlor had a salesman with a smile like yours, the ice cream industry would be the largest industry in the whole world." She said jokingly, taking the vanilla cone.

"I'm again very sorry for what I did at the restaurant."

"Seriously just let it go now. You don't know anything about me so you couldn't have known how it would affect me; but the lesson is learnt and it's in the past now. So please, stop apologizing already."

"But you are right"

"About what?"

"That I don't know anything about you. You know my life story and I know nothing about you."

"What do you want to know about me?"

"Hmn … tell me about the ice cream then first. Was it the right flavor?"

"Yes"

"So you like vanilla. I was actually confused between chocolate and vanilla, so I got both."

"I like chocolate flavor too."

"Oh so you like both flavors."

"I like more than just these two flavors, but vanilla is like my go-to guy. You can never go wrong with vanilla. It's a classic; you can never go wrong with a classic"

"So you like everything that is vanilla?"

"Well yes, even though I haven't enjoyed everything vanilla, but I'm sure I will in the future. If you know what I mean." She said winking at him.

"Actually I don't know what you mean" Ji Hoo said with a plain face

"Yeah right, fool someone else" but she soon understood that he wasn't lying. "Oh my god, you seriously don't know what I'm talking about"

"That's what I said before"

Mandy looked at his face for a second and then burst out laughing and pinched both his cheeks playfully. "You know you're as cute as a kindergartener" and continued laughing out loud. "Why don't you ask Woo Bin what vanilla signifies. I'm sure he would be more than happy to explain it all to you."

She was still laughing when they reached her apartment building.

"Today was fun, thanks for introducing me to your friends. Thanks to you I found a movie buddy" she said, referring to Ga Eul. "And don't forget to ask Woo Bin about what I told you" and she was gone like the wind.

**[A/n: Those who didn't understand what I was talking about in the above lines, read 50 shades trilogy or talk to someone you know who has. I'm sure you would get all your questions answered;-D]**


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all I would like to thank the reviewers for their support. Thank you sooo much guys. Love you **_**chandnigaz, sruthi, Hannah, Olivia and Jane.**_** Now I want to show my appreciation to my best friend Niya, who along with me has a role in this Fanfic, for encouraging me and giving me awesome ideas whenever I had a writer's block. Love you babe!**

CHAPTER 8

Mandy's POV

Mandy was still smiling from last night's incident. How someone of his age could be so naïve, she didn't understand. Her phone then beeped to show that she had received a text message.

'I'm free now. Come online.' It said.

The text was from her elder sister.

Mandy's sister was 9 years older than her and the person responsible for her upbringing. She was the main reason why Mandy's was still sane. She shared everything with her didi(elder sister in Hindi). In their circus of a family and roller coaster ride of a life, her sister was her holding post, the person who kept her centered.

She was married to an hotelier who had a chain of five star hotels and resorts all over India and was now expanding globally. She herself was a famous Jewelry Designer and had her own brand name, Miraya Jewels, named after her daughter.

When she got married at the age of 24, she and Mandy made a pact that they would communicate somehow with each other daily. Their favorite form of communication was video chat and had overtime become a sort of ritual.

Mandy switched on her ipad and waited for the connection to set. She was still smiling at the gullibility of her new friend.

"You look awfully happy this morning"

"DIDI!"

"Hey kiddo, how are you today? Because last time I checked you were missing me miserably"

"I still am, but am not that upset anymore"

"What happened overnight that made you so happy?"

"Devdas took me for Italian last night"

Like Niya, Mandy told her elder sister everything, so she was fully aware of Ji Hoo and the F4.

"He did?" her sister's eyebrows shot up asking this

"Don't worry, it was nothing like that. F4 was also there with the girls."

"Good; don't make me worry about you. See I am even starting to show signs of aging" her sister said in fun. In her mid 30's, Mandy's sister looked 10 years younger than her age, with baby like soft features and a pretty and warm smile.

"Yeah right as if, everyone knows that I would show signs of aging before you do didi"

"But be careful okay"

"Yes mom …"

"Make fun now, but you will regret it later if you are not careful. Now make me choose an outfit for my meeting with the certification board."

One of the main reasons for the sisters' preferred mode being video chat was just this. They always helped each other chose outfits when in a crisis.

"How about that green dress you bought last year with your new Charles and Keith peep toes with the emerald drop earrings and bracelet from your Enigma collection?"

"I didn't know what I'd do without you" her sister said ostentatiously

"My drama queen, do you further need my services or am I allowed to have lunch now?"

"You are free now slave, do as you may wish"

"Bye didi, love you, muah!" Mandy said as she finished the call.

Her sister was always like this. Caring but carefree; restricting but always letting her choose what was best for her and learn from her mistakes. One of the many reasons Mandy loved her so dearly.

Mandy walked to the refrigerator barefoot and took out a bottle of water. She filled a glass and chugged it down. She took out leftover tamarind rice and micro-waved it. After finishing her lunch, she continued unpacking her stuff from where she left off yesterday.

As she had joined her classes the very next day of arriving in Seoul, she hadn't had time to unpack before.

She finished unpacking by 6'Oclock. Now she was left with nothing to do. All her chores were already done and all her class notes were complete. So like the last night she was again left frustrated. 'I have to buy some DVD's first thing tomorrow' she thought. 'I should ask Ji Hoo for directions' and the thought brought back last night's memory. She had to check up on him and find out if he had talked to Woo Bin yet. And something told her that he hadn't brought up the topic.

She was super excited as she dialed his number. He picked up after three rings.

"Yebeseyo?"

"Hey it's me"

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"Where are you right now?"

"At the F4 lounge"

"F4 with you there or are you alone?"

"Only Jun Pyo is not here, others are. Why are you asking?"

"Can I come over? I was feeling bored alone at my apartment, so I was wondering if maybe I could hang out with you guys."

"Yeah sure, why not"

"Great! Text me the address"

"I can pick you up if you like"

"Oh don't worry; I'll get there on my own just fine."

Being bored was actually only half the reason of going to the F4 lounge; the main motive was to see the flustered expression on her friend's face and the good laugh she would have by teasing him.

She quickly got ready, grabbed her essentials and ipad and ran out her door.

Ji Hoo's POV

'Okay this girl is definitely up to something' Ji Hoo thought as he texted the address for the lounge to Mandy's number. She didn't sound bored even a single bit on the phone. 'Well, maybe she was just excited to come over' he thought. But something told him, there was some other reason behind her visit.

"Who was that?" Woo Bin asked

"Mandy, she wanted to come over so I gave her the address"

"You both have gotten quite close in the last week" commented Yi Jung, eyes still on his game of pool.

"Yeah well, she is that type of a person. She worms her way in unknowingly."

"So has she 'wormed' her way to your heart?" asked Woo Bin, teasing his friend "Because it definitely seemed like it when you dragged her out of the restaurant yesterday, in the middle of when I was asking her out"

"Aish! Why do you have to take everything the wrong way, huh? She is just a good friend, that's it; nothing else. And the reason was just that; YOU were asking her out, even though I told you not to."

"Bro, listen carefully when I say this; a guy and a girl can never be Just Friends."

"Well you are wrong, because Mandy and I are just that; friends and nothing else" Ji Hoo was never the one to defend his relationships with women, but Woo Bin suggesting that there might be something else than friendship reserved for them, made him feel all jittery.

10 minutes later Mandy arrived at the lounge.

"I brought ice cream" but stopped with what she saying. "Where are Jan Di and Ga Eul? You told me that only Jun Pyo was not here and the rest were here."

"But you only asked about the F4" said Ji Hoo

"Oh right, maybe I should have said F6 instead of F4. The girls are always with you, so I thought they would be here. Well you guys would just have to do then." She let out an exasperated sigh as she plopped down on the floor near the coffee table. She opened the tub of ice cream and started to dig in.

She looked up at the guys who were staring at the strange girl who had claimed their area as her own.

"Well I'm not going to finish the whole tub, help me out here." The guys just shrugged in a 'what the hell' manner and sat down around the table with a spoon each.

"So where are the two girls anyway?" Mandy asked while eating a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

"Jan Di and Ga Eul are busy with wedding preparations. The wedding is scheduled for two months later, so a lot of things have to be taken care of." Replied Yi Jung smoothly.

"And you didn't offer to help?"

"Do you know how scary those two friends are together? I value my life too much to get caught in their trap." This little comment was added by Woo Bin. Truth was that Jan Di and Ga Eul had asked for F4's help to finish their work more easily, but all the guys had somehow got out of it, making some lame excuses and instead had provided them other men like drivers and organizers to help them out.

"So, Yi Jung, if you don't mind me asking, how are things going with you and Ga Eul?" Mandy inquired

Yi Jung smirked at her "No, I don't mind you asking, because there's not much to tell. Since I have returned from Sweden, I haven't gone on a single date with her. I mean I never really went on a date with her before. The fake one we went on to bring Jan Di and Jun Pyo together doesn't count. I have been trying to work out a day when we can both just spend some time together alone, but she is either always busy with her school kids or Jan Di's wedding preparations. I can't even get her undivided attention for 10 minutes, because she is always worrying about flowers, or dresses or the cake. I mean they have the best wedding planners at their disposal, but no, these two girls have to do everything themselves." Yi Jung let out a frustrated sigh.

"Well I also wouldn't want some random person to plan mine or my best friend's wedding. It's one of those important days of your lives where you want just everything perfect and can only trust friends and family in these matters" consoled Mandy.

"But I can help you get that one day with Ga Eul. While you are with her, I can help Jan Di in anything she needs, so Ga Eul won't be worried about leaving Jan Di alone and I'm sure Ji Hoo and Woo Bin would be more than happy to help" she said, hitting Ji Hoo in the chest lightly with her elbow.

"Yeah, yeah why not" said Ji Hoo

"Yo, I never said yes" protested Woo Bin

"Your opinion doesn't count" said Mandy in a tone that said that there was no arguing with her.

"Really? I can't thank you enough. Ask anything you want, I'll give it to you" said a grateful Yi Jung

"Can I cash in that favor some other time? Because I really can't think of anything right now"

"Sure anything you ever want, just tell me."

"Yo bro, since when did you start granting people's wishes like this? You owe me a lot too, where are my three wishes, genie?" demanded Woo Bin

"Well she has given me the best gift ever, a chance to go on my first date with Ga Eul. What have you done for me huh?"

"Mwo? I didn't do anything for you?" said Woo Bin, getting up from his spot and moving in Yi Jung's direction. Yi Jung knew what was on Woo Bin's mind and started to get up too, but before he could flee, Woo Bin put him in a headlock "Say it again. I didn't do anything for you? If I wasn't here to protect her from other guys, Ga Eul wouldn't be yours to claim. She would already be married with a kid on the way. And you say I never did anything for you. Aish! You are such an ungrateful friend" Woo Bin was now cursing in Korean as he let go of Yi Jung.

"Well what do you want then?" asked Yi Jung as they sat down again

"Hmmn, how about you give me the phone numbers of some of your Swedish 'friends', huh?"

"Well believe it or not, I didn't make any 'friends' in Sweden. Ga Eul's thoughts never left me. But I could give you the phone number of an artist friend I had there, Christopher, and I'm sure he would very much enjoy your company" said Yi Jung playfully, hinting at something in between the lines.

"No thanks, I have lots of friends here" said Woo Bin quickly "Look the ice cream is finished" trying to change the subject

Yi Jung started laughing his ass off seeing his friend's nervous act.

The mention of ice cream brought an expression on Mandy's face like she had remembered something. She pulled Ji Hoo towards her a little and spoke in a low voice to him.

"Ji Hoo, did you finish your homework?"

"Homework?" asked a confused Ji Hoo. They didn't get any homework at the med school, so what was she talking about.

"The one I gave you yesterday; have you done it?"

"No, I thought you were joking."

"Well I wasn't; so ask him now"

"Now? Like right now?"

"Yes; and ask him in English, so that I know what you are talking about."

He looked at Mandy like she had lost her mind; but unfortunately knew that she wasn't going to rest until he did as she wished.

"Uh, Woo Bin, other than being a flavor and a scent, what does vanilla mainly signify?"

Woo Bin and Yi Jung both looked up at him with the expressions that you have on parents' faces when their children ask how babies are born. Both friends kept looking at each other then back at Ji Hoo, trying to figure out how to break it to their friend.

Then Woo Bin pulled Ji Hoo in his direction and whispered something in his ear.

The moment he heard the meaning, a deep blush crept up Ji Hoo's neck and to his cheeks.

"Yah! Is this t-the kind of thing t-that a l-lady should talk about?" he tried to sound more convincing is his chiding, but was too uneasy to talk properly. Mandy was having the time of her life at the expense of her friend's embarrassment.

"You put him up to this?" asked a shocked Woo Bin

"We were talking last night about vanilla being my favorite in almost everything and I said that even though I haven't experienced all things vanilla, I might enjoy them someday." She said simply "and said 'you know what I mean' and he was like 'I don't know what you mean'. I seriously didn't know that he would turn out to be so naïve!" she was now clutching her stomach to stop the pain from her rolling-on-the-floor-laughter.

She started getting up from her spot to get a hold of herself.

"Okay, now you have to go on a date with me; I'm too intrigued by you" said an amazed Woo Bin.

"Sorry Woo Bin, but there is a problem with that proposition"

"And that would be …"

"You are not my type. You give off more brotherly vibes than any guy I've ever met who is not family. I even had the urge to call you BHAI, which means brother in Hindi; just FYI."

She had now started to pick up her things and head for the exit

"Actually you know what; I will call you 'Bhai' from now on, because you are a 'Bhai' around here. Woo Bin Bhai, even has a nice ring to it, don't you think? And don't ask me what I mean by that. If you are curious go find it out yourself. You can even take Ga Eul's help. I'm sure she'll be able to help you out, because she, you know, watches Bollywood movies and would probably know what I mean. And Yi Jung, just tell me which day you want to take her out, so I'll plan accordingly. So I'll be going now; take care of each other. Byeeee" And she hugged both the stunned guys.

As she was at the door, she called out to Ji Hoo, who was hiding behind the pretence of listening to music on his headphones. The truth was he was still very much flustered by the events that had happened.

"Bye Devdas; see you in class tomorrow" and with that she was gone.

"Did I just get rejected?" asked a dumbfounded Woo Bin.

"Come on, I think you should sit down" said Yi Jung, trying to comfort his shocked friend

"Who is she?" Woo Bin was still too shaken after receiving his first rejection.

"She is someone who is going to make our lives very interesting" said Yi Jung to himself and just kept looking at the door and smiling.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Mandy visited the F4 lounge quite a few times in the next two weeks. She was never sure who she'd find because she always went over unannounced. Sometimes she'd find Jun Pyo, with whom she competed in darts and video games; sometimes she found Woo Bin and Yi Jung, who taught her how to play pool. It was very few times that Ji Hoo would be there, but they didn't need him there as a mediator; the rest of the F4 didn't recognize her as Ji Hoo's friend anymore. She was now a friend of the F4.

"The guys were missing you yesterday in the lounge"

All their classes had ended for the day and Ji Hoo and Mandy were heading towards the exit.

"The guys did, but you didn't?"

"I barely tolerate you in school, I was happy you weren't around" Ji Hoo said as a joke

"Oye! You can't tolerate me, huh?" She hit him playfully on the arm and both started laughing.

"But why weren't you there? Yesterday, at the lounge. I knew that all your notes were complete, because I helped you two days ago in completing them. So why weren't you there?"

"I was actually doing an utterly boring yet important task"

"What task?" inquired Ji Hoo

"I have to go grocery shopping so I was searching on the internet where I could go"

"What do you want that you can't find in the local market?"

"Just some special ingredients that I need to cook Indian dishes and I couldn't find them in the local market, but I found a south Asian supermarket where I could get those. I am actually heading there only, if I can only catch a cab."

"I could take you" offered Ji Hoo

"Really?"

"And as my payment you could cook me an Indian meal"

"Deal" Mandy said, shaking Ji Hoo's hand and trotted towards the parking lot and Ji Hoo followed her, shaking his head and smiling continuously.

"You know for a person who doesn't know Korean, you seem to be doing pretty well on your own" commented Ji Hoo as he started up the engine.

"I'll show you my secret" said Mandy and opened her bag to retrieve something.

"Ta-da" she said, showing her ipad. "This has a translator app which helps me give simple instructions or ask for something"

"Hmmn, nice toy; but it can't help you with everything I suppose."

"Yeah, there is still the problem of me understanding what other people are saying to me." She put the ipad back in her bag.

"Teach me" she said, turning in Ji Hoo's direction

"Huh?"

"Teach me Korean" she requested

"It's not so easy you know"

"I'll try my best, please please please please please please please please pleeeeaaase"

"Fine, we'll try"

"Thank you!" and she kissed him on the cheek. "I love you; you're the best friend ever!" unaware of the affect of her actions and words.

Ji Hoo blushed scarlet and touched his face where she had kissed. He had kissed before, full-fledged kiss, with not one but two women; but her friendly kiss on the cheek sent jolts to his body and left him feeling all warm on the inside.

'It was just a thank you kiss, just a friendly kiss, it meant nothing' Ji Hoo thought and kept on driving, but his fast-beating heart told him something else.

At the F4 Lounge

Yi Jung, Woo Bin and Jun Pyo were hanging out at the lounge. Over the years the F4 have had their lives completely changed, but the one thing they had kept constant was to take some time out and keep in touch with each other, no matter what. Jan Di and Ga Eul were again busy with wedding preparations.

"It's so quite today, like creepy quite; why is it so?" Woo Bin asked

"Mandy is not here" observed Yi Jung, answering with his signature smirk.

"Aish! That girl is too loud; and hoydenish" Said Jun Pyo

"You are only saying that because she beat you in darts" Yi Jung said

"And all your videogames" interjected Woo Bin

"Aish! Arasso arasso, she beat me in all those things, but it was only beginner's luck." Counter argued the Shinhwa heir

"Jun Pyo, that's what you said before she beat you the 3rd time" said Woo Bin, trying to control his laughter to not further agitate his temperamental friend, but was doing a poor job of it.

"But you know Ji Hoo was right" remarked Yi Jung "she does worm her way into people's lives, even if unknowingly. She has been in Seoul for not more than a month and already she has made Korea's F4 into her personal crew. Woo Bin the bodyguard; don't try to deny it because I know that you would've already put two of your men as her security like you did for all of us" Woo Bin just shrugged, not denying anything. Yi Jung continued, "I'm the genie, Jun Pyo the entertainer and Ji Hoo the assistant."

"Yah! Why am I the entertainer?" demanded Jun Pyo

"Because she gets the most laughs out of pulling your leg" Woo Bin simply said

"When has she ever pulled my leg, I only shook hands with her once, there was no leg involved. What nonsense are you both talking about?" said the delirious multi-billionaire.

The two best friends looked at each other once and burst out laughing at their friend's inanity.

At the supermarket

The whole crowd was watching the two young people, who, it seemed, had stepped into a supermarket for the first time, considering the amount of disturbance they were creating and the fun they were having with trolleys, like 5 year olds in an amusement park.

Ji Hoo and Mandy were having the time of their lives. Mandy was riding the trolley in the front with her face inwards and Ji Hoo was pushing it from aisle to aisle.

"Cumin seeds, mustard seeds, dried pomegranate seeds and asafetida. Come on, faster" cheered Mandy as Ji Hoo picked up these things from the shelves, dumped into the trolley and moved onto the next aisle.

"Cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and black and white peppercorns"

Ji Hoo deposited these things into the trolley and moved onto the next aisle

"Mustard oil, coconut oil, ghee and refined sunflower oil; come on, these are the last things I need, after that we're done"

"Thanks again for today" said Mandy. They were now driving toward her apartment.

"Oh please stop; I had lots of fun because of you today. And I went grocery shopping for the first time; so I think I should be the thankful one." Ji Hoo said while smiling at her.

"It was my pleasure to be of service sire" she said taking a light bow and laughing continuously.

She settled down and turned towards the window to watch the city pass by. A comfortable silence descended upon them.

As Ji Hoo parked in front of her apartment building, he realized that Mandy had fallen asleep during the ride.

He smiled and took out her house key, which he knew she kept in her bag and stuffed it in his pocket. He then went to her side and opened the door. He was going to carry her to her apartment. He had first thought to take her to his house, but knew that she would freak out when she woke up in the morning. He was removing her seat belt when a sudden pain shot up his ribs and before he knew it, he was on the ground.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Mandy really was asleep when Ji Hoo parked in front of her apartment building. She was still very much asleep when he rummaged through her bag for her house keys and was still asleep when he opened the car door. But when Ji Hoo was removing her seatbelt, it was necessary for him to go above her to unlock it and his body pressed against hers. This had waken her up and the self defense training she had, kicked in and she tackled the person above her to the ground, thinking it was some pervert trying to take advantage of her. When she realized that she had just decked her friend, well let's just say that feeling proud for defending herself was the last thing on her mind.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't know it was you. It's just a defense technique. Oh my god I'm really sorry; I seriously didn't know it was you. Are you okay? You don't look okay, I think I should call an ambulance …" and she kept blabbing on and on, pacing in front of Ji Hoo, who was now sitting in the car seat with his legs hanging out.

"I think I'll live, so calm down okay. I'm totally fine" said Ji Hoo coolly

"What were you doing anyway?" asked Mandy

"You fell asleep on the ride home and I didn't want to wake you up, so I was going to carry you to your house, but I didn't know I would have to sacrifice my back for that; that was one strong knock over you executed." He said in a light way.

"What were you thinking? You could've just woken me. And you would've sacrificed your back in the other case too. Carrying me is not an easy task. My camouflage dressing may fool you, but just let me tell you that I'm no size zero, therefore, the need for before mentioned camouflage dressing."

"I don't think you need camouflage dressing. And I also may look like a weak geek in my glasses and all but I think I could've handled you."

"Fine then, to prove your point, carry all the grocery bags to my apartment" and with that she sauntered towards the building.

Ji Hoo shook his head and kept smiling when he took out all the bags from the trunk and followed her frame.

"Where should I put these?" Ji Hoo asked as he entered her apartment.

"Just put them on the kitchen counter."

"I did prove myself" Ji Hoo smugly added

"Yes you did. And as your prize you get to have Indian for dinner, prepared by yours truly." She said as she bowed a little

"You're going to cook me dinner?"

"Why not? I have to cook myself dinner anyways. And I always cook for two, so that when I'm in a hurry in the morning, I can eat last night's leftovers. But just give me five minutes to freshen up and then I'll get to it. Make yourself comfortable; sorry that you can't watch TV because I've only one and it's in my room. But here's my ipad if you want to listen to some music or something" she said as she handed him her ipad and vanished into her room.

Ji Hoo settled down on the couch with the tablet in his hand and started looking at the apartment. Her apartment was decorated in a minimalist chic way. As he was appreciating the look of her house, her ipad started vibrating in his hand. When he saw the screen it showed that there was a request from Harleen Kaur for video chat.

"Ummn, Mandy?" he called out

"Yeah?" came her muffled response

"There's someone trying to connect with you on video chat."

"Who is it?"

"Someone whose name starts with 'H', I can't pronounce it."

"Is it h-a-r-l-e-e-n?" she asked peeking from behind her bedroom door

"Yes"

"That's my sister, accept the call and stall her. She calls me once a day, but she has already called so she must need something important. Please do this for me; I'll be out in a minute."

Ji Hoo accepted the call and was surprised to see a little girl of about 5-6 years of age staring back at him intently.

Then she called "Papa, there's a man in maasi's (mother's sister, in Hindi) house".

A man dressed in a polo shirt and trousers came running towards the little girl to check what she was talking about. He also wore a turban and had a full beard and mustache.

"Miraya, what joke is this now? How do you know what's going on with maasi?"

"I was missing her, so I called her for video chat, but there's a man there."

"You are again playing with your mumma's ipad. How many times has she told you not to touch her things, huh? What if you called one of mum's clients?" Then the guy turned the screen towards him and started apologizing "I apologize for the disturbance. I'm Harleen's husband Sarabjeet. My daughter was trying to call her aunt but I'm afraid she has dialed the wrong number. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience …" but stopped mid sentence when he realized that behind Ji Hoo, on the wall there was a picture of Mandy. He quickly realized that Miraya had dialed the right number indeed. There really was a man in her aunt's apartment. Sarabjeet's expression turned into one of rage.

"Where is she? Who are you? Why are you here? What have you done to her? Is it money? Tell me, how much do you want? But don't you even dare hurt a hair on her head or I would personally hunt you down and make your life hell."

Mandy had come out of her room now and quickly recognized her brother-in-law's voice. She ran to the couch, took the ipad from Ji Hoo and tried to neutralize the situation. "Papa, calm down; he's just a friend. I only told him to pick up the call because I was in my room. No need to worry; he's not a kidnapper."

"Who is he?"

"He is a friend and a classmate. Ji Hoo" she said turning the screen towards him "this is my brother-in-law Sarabjeet Singh and papa, this is my friend and classmate Yoon Ji Hoo" she said, introducing the two men.

Ji Hoo just gave a polite nod.

"Why is he in your apartment?"

"Papa …" she said in a warning tone

"You know I have never doubted your choices, just stay safe okay. And next time please pick your call on your own; don't give me such shocking surprises"

"Why did you call, that too from didi's ipad; where's the one I gave you?" asked Mandy

"I didn't call you actually, Miraya did."

"So where is she now?"

"She went to tell her mom that there's a man in your apartment"

Mandy winced; she knew that now she was going to get a one hour lecture on the-consequences-of-having-a-guy-in-your-house-late-at-night.

"Ookaay, I think I'm going to hang up now. Bye papa, please handle didi for me. And I assure you he is just a friend, so don't worry."

"Ok, I think I hear them coming. Bye bye bye!" and the screen went blank.

Mandy huffed out a sigh and sat on the couch next to Ji Hoo.

"Do I look like a kidnapper?" asked Ji Hoo

"Don't take it personally; my family is just a bit overprotective, that's all. Like I told you before, I'm the youngest in my family and also I actually did get kidnapped when I was a little kid, so they are always worried."

"What happened?"

"It was my fifth birthday party; one of the performances was a magic show. The magician invited me to step in the box and claimed that I would disappear and then reappear after ten minutes. Only I didn't reappear after ten minutes; there was a back opening in the box and another man grabbed me from behind and took me away. I was gone for a week. The place where they kept me wasn't the nicest area but many people lived in that building. A lady noticed that there was something suspicious and called the police. When I got back, my dad hired a bodyguard to be with me 24/7. One day he lost his leg protecting me from potential kidnappers. After that I refused to get another one; I couldn't see anyone else getting hurt because of me. But that person was ex-military and trained me in basic life skills and self defense. I was able to knock you over today because he taught me well."

"I'm sorry"

"It happens; in my world it's quite common. Actually it's your world too I guess; you know how too much fame and money can affect your life, right." She observed. "But I'm actually lucky that I have such a loving family. At least that didn't affected by the whole chaos."

"You do seem close to your family" said Ji Hoo. Mandy just smiled and nodded her head lightly.

"I think I should get started on that dinner" said Mandy, starting towards the kitchen

"How about we go out for dinner or order takeout? It's too late to cook dinner from scratch and you look tired." Suggested Ji Hoo

"It's not late at all. It will take me maximum half an hour to serve you dinner. Even if it would be simple, let me tell you this; there is nothing better than a simple home-cooked meal after a tiring day. And what I'm going to make is my ultimate comfort food."

"So what are you cooking?" asked Ji Hoo

"Dal chaawal"

"What's that?"

"Spicy pulses' soup and rice"

"Can I help with something?"

"Do you know how to chop vegetables?" Ji Hoo simply nodded. "Okay then, cut these onions and tomatoes in to small pieces, but don't make a mash out of them" she said handing him a chopping board with a knife and two small onions and tomatoes.

He went to a corner in the kitchen and started peeling the onions. His eyes soon started watering because of the onions, but he wiped his eyes and kept working. As his back was towards her, he didn't know what Mandy was actually doing. He could just hear sounds of a lot of things at once.

He was halfway through his second onion when Mandy inquired if he was done. When she saw his slow progress because of his tear-stained vision, she took the knife from him and told him to go into the restroom and wash his eyes with cold water. He went there and started washing his eyes out. When his vision cleared, he dried his face and came out into her room; he was quite surprised to see the difference between her room and the rest of her house.

While the rest of her house was decorated in a minimalist manner and with basic colors, her room was just the opposite. The walls were painted in bright pinks and purples; there was a desk which was filled with books and loose sheets. The wall above the head of her double bed was filled with pictures of her family and friends with also a lot of scenic pictures. The room also had a LED TV with a whole shelf worth of DVD's on the console. It all had a very homely and warm feeling to it.

When he went back to the kitchen, he realized that she had already set the table and was transferring the soup and rice in serving dishes. Everything was already cooked and ready to be served.

**So you guys might have already guessed that I have a lot of my personal details in here. Well this fanfic is just it; half reality and half wishful thinking.**

**And thanks again for the awesome reviews.**


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

"I was going to call to you; took you a lot of time to wash your eyes. Is everything okay?" asked Mandy, looking at Ji Hoo in a concerned way.

"Oh yes, I was just looking at your room. It's very different from the rest of your house."

"I don't have any use of the living room; it's just a part of the house so I have to furnish it a little. Everything remains untouched. You are the first person in two months who sat on the couch in my living room and the dining room is still untouched. I only come out of my room when I need to use the kitchen or when I have to go out; otherwise I am always cooped up in my room."

They settled down at the small coffee table in the kitchen and started with their meal.

"This is really good" Ji Hoo said as he took a sip of the dal.

"I know; and you are not supposed to eat it like that." She said as she saw Ji Hoo trying to finish off the dal first. "You mix the dal with the rice, like gravy and then eat it." When he did as he was told and then ate a spoonful, Mandy asked "Is it better now?" Ji Hoo simply nodded and hastily gobbled up the portion in his plate. He quickly finished his second helping and gave a little burp.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment" Mandy said chuckling as she started clearing the plates from the table and depositing them in the sink.

"Let me help with the dishes" Ji Hoo said "as a thank you for this wonderful meal."

"There is no need" Mandy started saying but Ji Hoo insisted. Mandy gave him a pair of rubber gloves and washing tools and went to the other side of the kitchen and opened a shelf and took out something.

"Do you want some after-dinner coffee?"

"Sure" Ji Hoo simply replied and continued washing the dishes. Within the next five minutes he was done and he put back the gloves under the sink. Mandy was also done with preparing the coffee and they both settled on the couch with their cups. Mandy folded her legs sideways and sat on them on the couch.

"This is also really good; what did you add?" asked Ji Hoo

"Nothing, just instant coffee powder and sugar. But instead of adding water, I mixed it only in milk." She replied

A silence settled between them as they sipped their coffees, but was broken by Mandy giggling lightly at no reason.

"What's so funny?"

"The way papa was shouting at you today. He rarely loses his cool, but when he does, just run for your lives. But sorry you had to listen to that."

"It's good actually, proves that there is someone who cares for you"

"I am lucky that way, they care for me a lot" she said fondly.

"And you love them back equally" Ji Hoo said. "Those pictures in your room looked like a family tree. What is it?"

"You are correct. It is a family tree; my family tree."

"You have quite a big family"

"Yes, those are all my aunts and uncles and first cousins and their spouses and kids. I have in total 25 first cousins, from my mother's plus my father's side and I'm the youngest of them all. When we all get together on occasions like weddings; it's like a carnival themed week long party."

"What about your immediate family?" Ji Hoo further asked

"My father is my grandparents' fourth child and second son. They are four sisters and two brothers. He was not born into money; neither did he grow up in that background. He made a name for himself as his business grew and now he is the CEO of the top consulting firm in India. My relationship with him is good but not that close. We appreciate each other's personal spaces and therefore leave each other alone. We try not to spend too much time together because then we would go insane; our personalities are that much identical."

"And your mother?" asked Ji Hoo "what's your relationship with her?"

"She is her parents' 6th child and 5th daughter. They are 6 sisters and one brother. She also wasn't born into money but she was born into a strict household. I've always heard stories about how strict my grandfather was with them, but that trait of his has fortunately not continued to our generation, well not for me anyways" she said with a grin.

"Probably because of your smile" Ji Hoo comeented

"Uh, no; probably because I was the youngest" Mandy said "My smile is not that great"

"No, but it's warm"

"Warm?"

Ji Hoo simply nodded

"I'm gonna ask you to elaborate that some other time; now back to my mom. She runs an NGO for impoverished kids, that tries to provide them food and clothing and also has opened schools in remote places by sending volunteer teachers. They also organize medical camps with the help of volunteer doctors."

"But how is she with you?"

"I really can't say; sometimes we're close, sometimes distant; it really depends on the situation, but it's more on the distant side; probably because I had another mother figure growing up. That person is still more of a mother to me than the women who gave birth to me."

"Who is it?"

"My sister"

"Care to explain?" Ji Hoo had an inkling as what she was about to say, but knew that she wanted to share more but would only talk if prodded.

"Did you know my sister is 9 years older than me? She is the one who has always been there for me. She pretty much brought me up single handedly. When she was getting married, people used to joke that she already has a full grown kid, so won't need to try for one. She is my everything; my mother, my caretaker, my best friend, my teacher; everything."

"You seemed to be afraid of her in the evening" said Ji Hoo

"You only care what the people closest to you think of you. I knew I was going to get a full hour lecture about the-cons-of-getting-too-friendly-with-a-guy-and-inviting-him-into-your-house-at-night; something I wasn't really in mood of."

"You and your brother-in-law looked like partners in crime, one saves the other" observed Ji Hoo

"More or less; he is like the elder brother I never had; a person you can plan pranks with, a person who spoils you and is protective of you at the same time."

"But why were you calling him papa? If I am correct, isn't that another word for father?" asked Ji Hoo

"There is a story behind it. Like I said, he is very protective of me and spoils me like a father would. My sis was already a mother figure to me; he also in an unspoken manner adopted the role of a father. When Miraya, my niece, was born, he became even more protective and doting. When I started calling him 'papa', is a fact I don't know myself. But it fit him and therefore continued. If anyone asks I tell them that I have two sets of parents." She said grinning from ear to ear.

"I would've been happy with one set" Ji Hoo said lightly. It was not meant for Mandy to hear it, but she did and felt sad for him. He only had a grandfather as family and here she was going on and on about her 25 cousins and two sets of parents.

Mandy finished her coffee and went to put the cups in the sink. Ji Hoo got up and too went with his empty cup to the kitchen. The cups were washed and kept aside. Mandy stretched her body and yawned.

"I'll be going now" said Ji Hoo "it's very late. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious."

"Well it was not really a full-fledged meal. It was just one dish that people usually eat when they are sick. One day I'll treat you to a festive meal that will definitely blow you mind. But you have to remind me because I keep forgetting things."

"I am looking forward to it; annyeonghi jumuseyo"

"Huh… what?"

"Good night; you told me to teach you the language; classes start now but we have to discuss the tuition fees"

"What do you want?"

"Hmmn … more dal!" he said excitedly like a child

"Ok, I'll cook you more dal afterwards, just remind me"

"Ok then bye"

"Bye, see you tomorrow in class" she said as she waved him goodbye from her door as he was entering the elevator.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

The next day when their classes ended, Mandy, Ji Hoo and really the whole college received a surprise.

As they got out of the classroom, Mandy saw that a crowd had gathered around the college gates. What she further noticed was that the crowd mainly consisted of screaming girls and was growing in size. Two girls passed by her, talking in an excited tone and joined the group.

"What's happening? Why are there so many screaming girls gathered together?" inquired Mandy from Ji Hoo

"I think I have an idea, but let's go check" Ji Hoo said and went towards the hustle-bustle; Mandy followed him.

Ji Hoo's doubt turned into reality when he saw two of his best friends surrounded by their fans (read groupies). The F4's Casanova and Don Juan had decided to pay their friends a visit. Well only Yi Jung had decided, Woo Bin was dragged along.

Ji Hoo waved at them and the two heartbreakers came over to where Ji Hoo and Mandy were standing; thankfully the girls stayed where they were and just turned in their direction.

"Yi Jung! Woo Bin! What a pleasant surprise" said Mandy "may I know the reason you decided to grace us with your presence today?"

"Mandy-sshi, are you free today?" asked Yi Jung sweetly, giving her a megawatt smile which made the girls standing around him swoon. But Mandy had seen this trick with other guys and knew in a second that he wanted something from her.

"Yes I'm free today, but first, do these poor girls a favor and stop smiling; I think one just fainted. And second, that you don't need to sweet talk me into something; you can tell what you want directly." Yi Jung stopped smiling and started smirking, which actually made the situation around them worse. While his smile made Yi Jung look cute, his smirk made him look HOT.

Mandy saw the hungry look in the eyes of many girls and knew that they were ready to pounce on their prey.

"I think we should take this conversation somewhere else. Ji Hoo, bring the car around. NOW" she said, signaling him with her eyes. Ji Hoo quickly caught on and scurried towards his car. She then spoke in a low voice to both visitors "When I give you the signal, you run to the car like your life depends on it, and in the meantime stay very still and make no sudden movements."

When Ji Hoo stopped the car about 50 meters from where they were standing, Mandy shouted "RUN" and they all ran, but Yi Jung and Woo Bin started laughing at Mandy's 'crisis', which made the girls get out of their surprised trance and run after them too. They all wanted a piece of the F4. As they drove out of campus, the screams died down.

"So Yi Jung! From now on you are banned to smile or laugh or show any expressions in public" Mandy scolded him playfully "And stop laughing; you could've gotten hurt out there today"

"That's our routine Mandy, don't worry" said Yi Jung "But one thing I don't understand is why didn't the girls react that way to Ji Hoo?"

"Because he doesn't have our reputation" said Woo Bin "They all know that Ji Hoo wouldn't give them the time of the day, but they know that we might give them the time of the night" he said winking at his friend.

"Hello! Sitting right here" Mandy said "Can we please not discuss your sex lives"

"Don't act like such a prude; I still haven't forgotten the vanilla incidence. You corrupted our innocent little Ji Hoo." Woo Bin said, and Yi Jung and Mandy burst out laughing, while Ji Hoo just blushed and kept on driving, avoiding eye contact with Mandy, who was riding shotgun.

They all entered the F4 lounge laughing and joking as they recalled F4's encounters with their crazy fans.

"But seriously guys, you should be considerate of other people's feelings and the effect you have on them" said Mandy

"We know, but it seems that girls just can't resist us." Said Woo Bin

"I seem to be resisting you all just fine" Mandy argued

Before Woo Bin could reply, Mandy's cell phone started ringing loudly. Recognizing the ringtone she had set for Niya, she picked up the call without asking who it was.

"Hey baby! How are you? I missed you so much" Mandy said in a high pitched voice

"I'm going to go deaf if you don't calm down" said Niya fondly

"But I mished you" Mandy said in a baby voice

"I missed you too, even though we talked 6 hours ago" Niya said sarcastically

"Fine, what do you want?" Mandy said, getting to business "and why are you calling me from your phone, where's your ipad?"

"Unlike you, I don't carry it around everywhere. But the reason I called; you remember the blue dress you got me on my birthday this year?"

"Yeah, what about it?"  
"Well I was wondering if I should wear it to the alumni night this year."

"Okay what's happening here? Because if I remember correctly I have always had had to request you to attend that night for the past years but now you suddenly want to go and you are actually PLANNING on what to wear."

"HE is coming this year."

The 'HE' referred to here is Niya's school crush. Niya was crazy about him in high school and still is. 'HE' hadn't attended a single alumni night since he passed out, but this year it was a rumor that he was attending.

"Ooh baby, you have to wear that dress, and those black shoes you have. And please do something with your hair; nothing too obvious but just try something different. You'll be the hottest girl there!"

"You are making me nervous now; maybe I shouldn't go; it would seem too obvious that I'm dressed to impress" Niya kept mumbling nervously

"NIYA! Stop it with the self-depreciating. You are hot and you are sexy and you are going to make him beg for you. Do you understand? Now I'll call you later; I'm in the middle of something here, okay? Love you! Bye! Muah muah muah."

Even though Mandy had excused herself from the group, they could hear what she was saying and caught on to the parts spoken in English. She returned to the group.

"Who was it?" Ji Hoo asked

"A person you love I suppose" interjected Woo Bin

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Well, I sort of listened to your conversation and it seemed that the person you were talking to, you love them a lot." Said Woo Bin

"I do love her"

"Her?" Yi Jung asked, arching a brow

"The first time we met, something just clicked between us; and we've been tight knit since. Now not a day goes by that I don't talk to her. She's like my soul mate, my other half." She said, referring to her best friend who was more like a sister to her.

"And that ringtone, isn't it that Katy Perry song?" asked Woo Bin

"Yep, I Kissed A Girl; it's our special song." She said "What were we talking about before I got the call?"

"Your ability to resist the charms of the F4" Yi Jung said

"But I think I now know why you can do that" said Woo Bin

"Really? And what would the reason be?" asked Mandy, now curious as to what they had in mind.

"Well we all arrived on a theory about how you could resist the F4, while you were on the phone" said Yi Jung

"Uh Huh" said Mandy, she was interested what stupid theory they had arrived on

"And you know your phone call verified our theory. You know the lovey-dovey talk; the husky voice" said Woo Bin

"The ringtone" added Ji Hoo, trying to control himself from laughing.

"Yes that too; all these facts add up to our theory"

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" inquired Mandy

"That depends on what do you think we are thinking" said Yi Jung

"Please continue, I am excited to hear what you have to say" Mandy was enjoying herself; she had an inkling as to what their 'theory' was, but she was not going to speak it out loud.

"Well the reason you can resist us all is because you are …" started Yi Jung

"Because I am …?" prodded Mandy

"Because you are gay" finished Woo Bin

Mandy burst out laughing, she knew that they would've reached some crazy conclusion, but this was out of this world.

"Please do explain to me how you reached at this" she said amusingly

"Well, you are the only girl we've met who has resisted our charms for so long." Said Yi Jung

"And you talk like a guy; you are the most outspoken girl we've met. You behave like a guy; doing all the rough work on your own like setting your own apartment and you like doing guy things like videogames and have guy interests like in cars and bikes." Said Woo Bin

"But that just says that I'm a strong and independent person; at the most I can be described as a tomboy, but that still doesn't make me gay. And don't even start with me about habits, because then the whole F4 is gay; wearing designer clothes and getting manicures and pedicures." said Mandy

"But that just means we are well groomed" said Yi Jung

"And we have a string of girls to prove that we are not gay" said Woo Bin smugly

"And I have Freud and a string of other psychologists who may say that the reason behind your philandering ways is because you are in denial of your true sexuality" counter argued Mandy

"Well your phone call verified our suspicions further" said Yi Jung carefully

"Care to elaborate?"

"The person you were talking to, you yourself said you loved her; you were saying that she was hot and sexy; and lastly your ringtone for that person, all these things combined made us arrive at this answer" said Woo Bin with finality.

"First of all, let me clear one thing; I'm not gay. I have nothing against who are, but I'm definitely not gay. Second of all, I love a lot of people, doesn't has to be in the obvious way. The person I was talking to is actually my best friend; she was nervous about going somewhere and I was giving her a psychological boost."

"But your ringtone …?" asked a confused Yi Jung

"You can't just jump to conclusions based on a ringtone! It has a story behind it. When I and Niya, my best friend, were in school, we were always together and talked on the phone when we went home. We were so joined that our classmates joked that we were a couple and we continued on with the joke. But the truth is that she is like a sister to me."

Yi Jung and Woo Bin were not able to look Mandy in the eyes

"And you Ji Hoo, even you thought I was gay." Mandy said to Ji Hoo, who in the whole conversation had not said much.

"I didn't say anything, I was just an observer of the show in which they embarrass themselves" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Yah!" "Yah!" said Yi Jung and Woo Bin at the same time.

Mandy and Ji Hoo laughed out loud.

**So how is it? Please leave lots of reviews and please write in English coz I don't understand Spanish and such. Thanks!**

**The incidents given here are sort of inspired by what happened in mine and Niya's lives when we were in school! **

**And I think everyone would agree with me when I say that we love Yi Jung's smirk! *feeling hot right now thinking about it and fanning myself***


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"So what did you want from me?" Mandy said, directing her question to Yi Jung

"Well you said you would help me get a date with Ga Eul and I was thinking if you could clear your schedule for tomorrow?"

"Sure, just let me check which classes we have tomorrow" she said as she took out her ipad "At what time do you want me?"

"After 2pm, when Ga Eul's shift ends at school" replied Yi Jung

"So we would have to leave Dr. Park's class"

"We?" Ji Hoo asked raising his eyebrows

"You said that day that you would be happy to help me" said Mandy

"I'm not so sure" said Ji Hoo

"Well you are coming, no excuses allowed" and finished the topic

She continued asking Yi Jung questions about the next day and Woo Bin and Ji Hoo kept drinking their tea.

"So 'Bhai' would you be meeting us there or someplace else?" Mandy asked Woo Bin.

"I never agreed to go you know neither did I want to come today;" said Woo Bin "and what's with the name-calling, huh?"

"I told you it means brother in Hindi"

"I know you told me that, but I also remember you saying that it had some other meaning."

"But that was your homework and I also told you that you could take Ga Eul's help" said Mandy

"You know you should've become a teacher instead of a doctor, you just looove giving homework. And just so you know, I don't know the meaning of what you call me either." Said Ji Hoo

"Well I actually did think about becoming a teacher but I was never that good with controlling kids" said Mandy

"How do you know you cannot control kids?" asked Yi Jung

"Well, I have 25 cousins in total and they are all elder than me. Now as you can imagine they have lots of kids. I love each of those little rascals but don't give them to me to take care of all at once; it once happened that I took them all to the park; definitely one of the worst days of my life."

"Can we please return back to the point? You were going to tell me what my name means" said Woo Bin

"And mine too" said Ji Hoo

"OK, I'll tell what your name means, but then you have to promise me you will come with us"

"Ok deal" and Woo Bin shook hands with Mandy

"Ok first tell me what do your subordinates call you?" Mandy asked Woo Bin

"Hyung-nim, but what does that have to do with it?"

"I'll tell you, but first tell me what does hyung-nim mean?"

"'Hyung' means elder brother and 'nim' is added as a sign of respect"

"Well 'bhai' means the same; in India, a person who is a gang leader or mobster is also called a 'Bhai', therefore I called you that." Mandy explained in a serious tone, knowing fully that her words could be taken the wrong way. But Woo Bin was not angry.

"Well actually I'm no longer a mobster, I've turned 90% of my money into legitimate businesses, there's still 10% left though."

"Which is necessary, if you ask me; everyone needs someone to do the dirty work, might as well be you" interjected Mandy "and no, I'm not making fun of you because I know that to run a large business some shady dealings are necessary."

"Didn't know girls were so street smart" smirked Yi Jung

"Well almost all girls that you might have known are street smart; they just pretend to be butterflies because they think that it makes them look attractive. Yuck! Even if my behavior has been a turn off for potential boyfriends, then I'm happy to be single because then the guy doesn't know the real me, he only likes the image I'm projecting."

"Also didn't know that you were so deep" Ji Hoo said teasingly

"Oye!" Mandy lightly hit him on the arm

"But why did you call those kind of girls butterflies?" asked Yi Jung curiously

"It's a term me and my sis coined for these girls. They act all fragile and innocent like butterflies and eat only a morsel of food in front of guys and act all damsels in distress, whereas, in reality, they can chuck down a whole bucket of chicken wings and kick anyone's ass if they wanted to. I just hate those kinds of girls." Pouted Mandy

"Well then it's a relief to know that my yeodongsaeng can take care of herself." Said Woo Bin, chuckling at her

"What does that mean?"

"That's your homework now" said Woo Bin and everyone laughed out loud.

"Ok it's my turn now; tell me what does my name mean?" said Ji Hoo

"Why can't you people do anything on your own? How did you complete your homework in school?"

"We didn't get any" commented Yi Jung

"Figures; fine I'll tell you too, but you have to promise you won't get depressed"

"Uh, okay" Ji Hoo was confused about the condition she presented

"'Devdas' is actually a famous character of a story; like Romeo. The girl he was in love with, got married off to someone else and he started drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He eventually died because of the large amounts of alcohol destroyed his body internally; but that's not the point. In contemporary cases, whenever someone turns to alcohol to seek comfort from love problems they are referred to as 'Devdas'. When I saw you that night downing glass after glass of scotch; I thought of you as 'Devdas'" she finished weakly.

Yi Jung and Woo Bin were looking at their friend whose head was bent low. There was an uncomfortable silence in the air but then suddenly Ji Hoo started laughing uncontrollably.

"I don't think that really suits me because I rarely drink; that day was an exception but trust me that the hangover I got the next day has righted me forever. I don't think I can stand to consume anymore alcohol; I even stopped drinking wine after that day, which was one of my favorite ways to de-stress."

"I think you can now turn to 'dal'; you seemed to like that a lot and too much of that doesn't give a hangover, though I'm not sure about the trips to the bathroom you might have to take" and the two would be doctors fell to floor laughing while the other two friends looked at them like they had gone crazy


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

Yi Jung had been looking forward to this date for a long time and today he finally had got the chance to spend some time with her even though Ga Eul had no idea of his plan because he knew that if he asked for her consent, she would never agree to leave because she had to go with Jan Di to the dress fitting for the 100th time (it was only the 5th time really)

He was now standing outside the school building waiting for her to come out after finishing her shift. Ga Eul appeared after 10 minutes wearing a light yellow summer dress with ballerina flats and a brown bag with her hair tied in a ponytail. She didn't even see Yi Jung and his very noticeable orange sports car as she went in the other direction, texting on her cell phone.

"You dropped something miss" someone said from behind her and when she turned around she saw Yi Jung holding a bouquet of flowers and smirking.

"Sunbae, what are you doing here?"

"I am here to take you out on a date." Yi Jung replied smoothly

"But Sunbae, I'm not free today, I have to go with Jan Di to her dress fitting; there are only a few days left and her dress still isn't finalized." Pointed out Ga Eul

"No need to worry, I have already taken care of it; Mandy-sshi, Ji Hoo and Woo Bin would go with Jan Di to help her out. And you can spend some time with me"

"But …" Ga Eul was unsure about what to do. On one hand she had to help her best friend but she also wanted to spend some time with Yi Jung.

Yi Jung smiled at Ga Eul as he saw her confusion. He had known that Ga Eul would need some heavy convincing that Jan Di was okay before she went anywhere with him.

He took out his phone and dialed Ji Hoo's number.

He had anticipated Ga Eul's indecision and they had planned the previous evening for this.

"Yebeseyo, Yi Jung?"

"Yeah it's me. Ga Eul's not convinced that Jan Di would be okay with you guys; could you please tell her"

"Give her the phone, I'm putting mine on loudspeaker." Said Ji Hoo

"Yebeseyo" Ga Eul said

"Ga Eul, this is Mandy"

"Oh hello sunbae"

"Ok Ga Eul first of all I'm not Your sunbae, I'm Jan Di's sunbae; so please stop calling me that"

"Then I'll call you Unnie"

"Call me whatever you want sweetie; but the reason we're having this conversation is because you are worried about Jan Di, right?"

"We had to go her dress fitting and there are only a few days left and we just want to get it finished as soon as possible."

"Look, I understand your problem, but trust me when I say this that I and the guys will help Jan Di in every way possible. And also my sister is a designer, so I have a little bit knowledge in that area, so you see you don't have to worry about Jan Di at all. She will be fully assisted and you should not worry and enjoy your date with Yi Jung, okay?" said Mandy

"OK" replied Ga Eul timidly; she was still not sure but it didn't look like she had a choice.

"Good girl, now go have fun and we'll take care of everything here. Bye" and Mandy hung up the phone.

"Have you changed your mind now?" asked Yi Jung

"I think so" she said "Where are we going?"

"That's a surprise for you" he said while smirking "Shall we go?" he said offering his arm.

Ga Eul interlocked her arm with his and nodded her head. They started towards the orange sports car which was parked a few meters away.

Back in front of the dress shop

"Why did you lie to her? Your sister is a jewelry designer; how can you say that you have knowledge in the clothing area" asked Ji Hoo

"I didn't lie to her; one of my cousins actually is a fashion designer."

"Oh"

"Now shall we go inside the shop?"

"Ok" "Ok" said Ji Hoo and Woo Bin in unison

Jan Di was sitting in the shop, waiting for Ga Eul. It was not usual for her to be late; Jan Di took out her cell phone and was dialing Ga Eul's number when she saw the party of three enter.

"Sunbae! What are you doing here?" she asked Ji Hoo in Korean

"Umm, Jan Di could we please talk in English? Sorry but I cannot understand a word you are saying" asked Mandy politely

"Oh yes of course Mandy sunbae; I am just surprised to see you all here."

"Yeah well, the thing is that we are substituting for Ga Eul for today; she is occupied somewhere else." Mandy said

"Yi Jung sunbae?" she asked Ji Hoo and Woo Bin. They nodded and she shook her head and smiled. "It's good, they needed to spend some time together, but I don't think you might be able to help me out today" but Mandy didn't let her finish.

"We know that you are here for your dress fitting and would like Ga Eul's opinion; but I have bit knowledge in this area as one of my sisters is a designer. So trust me when I say this that you are in good hands."

"That's okay but I don't think the guys would be of much help" said Jan Di unsurely

"Oh, I know that; they are here to assist us in any way possible" and she gave knowing expressions to both the guys "right?"

"Oh yeah. We are personal assistants of Guem Jan Di for today" said Woo Bin half sarcastically and half amusingly. He was himself confused if he was happy or frustrated to help in dress shopping.

"Ok then Jan Di, let's try on your dress" said Mandy excitedly

"Actually sunbae, there is not one dress but nine dresses. Over the time me and Ga Eul have been here, we have chosen the ones that suit me best and asked the seamstress to make some changes to them. We have narrowed it down to these nine dresses" she said pointing to the rack which hung her dresses.

"Ok then let's get started" Mandy said

The guys were 'ordered' to sit outside and give their opinions on the dresses. What followed was Jan Di doing the ramp walk in her dresses. As expected the guys didn't have much to say except 'It's good' or 'It's nice'. When Jan Di was trying on her 5th dress, she called out "Sunbae?" from the changing room and Ji Hoo got up from his seat and started moving in the direction of the voice, but was soon stopped by Mandy "Where do you think you're going?".

"She called" but soon realized that Jan Di had actually called for Mandy "right, you are her sunbae too; stupid me" and took his seat again.

When Mandy entered, she saw one of the most beautiful brides there ever would be. Jan Di looked radiant in the dress; it was off shoulder with a lotus neckline; the bodice was a mixture of dull silver and white and the tulle skirt that started from the waist was in tulip cut with a layering beneath. Jan Di looked like she had been decorated with fresh snow.

"Oh Jan Di, you look lovely. The most beautiful and elegant bride there ever would be." Mandy complimented Jan Di

"Oh sunbae, I know I'm not that pretty, so you don't have to lie to make me feel good" Jan Di gushed

"But you do, so stop selling yourself short. Now where's the veil? The look is not complete without it"

"Well that's what I called you for" and she put on the veil. When first Jan Di looked like the epitome of elegance, now she looked like a gauche tentacle queen wannabe.

"What is this thing? Are you sure you have the right pairing?" asked Mandy

"Yes, they come with number tags same as the dresses"

"Omigod, something has to be done to this disaster. You wait here and I'll return in a few minutes with a solution to this." And she exited the changing room.

Mandy came out of the changing room, holding something that looked like a dead jellyfish. When Woo Bin raised a questioning brow, Mandy quickly stopped him from voicing his concerns "Don't ask, not now". Woo Bin raised his hands in surrender and settled back with the cup of herbal tea he had been served. Only the best service for Korea's F4

First Mandy went over to the shop assistant and asked her to show her all the veils that they had present in the boutique. First the girl refused, saying that all the veils came with the dress and were not exchangeable. After a lot of coaxing and threatening her that her boss would be unhappy that she refused to help the future daughter-in-law of the Shinhwa household, the girl finally agreed and presented all the veils in a row.

After trying on various veils for half an hour, Jan Di finally came out and everything stilled for a moment.

**Sorry I haven't been able to update for a while; internet problems, but now I'm back! And I have lots of new chaps for you all. Enjoy!**


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Jan Di looked like a vision in white as she walked on the ramp.

"Woah, Guem Jan Di, you look really beautiful. Jun Pyo is one lucky son of a witch to have won your heart" said Woo Bin

Jan Di blushed "Thank you sunbae" she said shyly and then looked expectantly at Ji Hoo, waiting for his reaction.

"You look really beautiful" he said and smiled warmly at her. He then turned to Mandy who was standing next to him "You did good".

"Good? I kicked ass; without me she wouldn't have this dress because I'm pretty sure she and Ga Eul wouldn't have been able to convince the shop assistant to comply with their wishes." Ji Hoo smiled widely at her and bowed in front of her with his both hands parallel with his shoulders; as a sign of respect.

Everyone laughed at Ji Hoo's 'salute' to Mandy. Jan Di went back into the changing room but soon called out for Mandy again.

Mandy went to check on her "What happened? Is something wrong?"

"No, I just needed your help in getting out of this dress so that I don't destroy it, now that we have finalized it and all."

"Ok sure"

As Jan Di changed her clothes, Mandy ensured that the dress didn't get damaged.

"Thank you sunbae" said Jan Di

"No need for that, it was my pleasure to help you today"

"But I have much more to thank you for."

"Huh?"

"Ji Hoo sunbae" Jan Di had been worried about Ji Hoo since that day in the club, the way he was hurting himself. But she had seen him become more carefree since he had become good friends with Mandy. He laughed more and didn't seem lost in his own world. She had been dreading Ji Hoo's reaction to her wedding dress, how he would feel because the girl he liked was now getting married to his best friend. "Thank you for taking care of him. I was very worried about him about how he would handle this whole situation but it looks like he is coping well and all thanks to you; don't deny it" said Jan Di

"Well it was my pleasure to be of help in that matter too. Ji Hoo is just such a sweet and innocent guy and I love that about him. He has that aura around him that just pulls you to him."

"I know what you are talking about"

"He's like a …" "angel sent from heaven" both the girls said together. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"And he mostly wears white" said Jan Di

"But I think he will be okay with your situation; he just needed some time to heal and I think he is ready to move on." Said Mandy

"I hope so"  
"Don't worry about him; what you should be worrying about is your wedding and your honeymoon." Mandy said wiggling her eyebrows "So where are you going?"

"I don't know, probably on world tour or even maybe some private island. Jun Pyo has kept it a secret from everyone; only Jun Hee unnie knows."

"Jun Pyo's elder sister right?" Mandy confirmed

Jan Di nodded

"From what Ji Hoo has told me, she seems like a very cool person"

"Ji Hoo sunbae talked to you about her?"

"Oh yeah, he told me everything about you guys. I know your life stories; but you looked surprised" Mandy said

"Ji Hoo sunbae doesn't talk much about his past, and that to anyone outside the F4, so I am just surprised that he told you everything."

"From what I've observed, he is the one who always listens to his friends' problems but no one is there to listen to his. He just needed that person and by chance I became that person. There was so much pent up inside him that when he opened up, it all came out." Mandy said

"Well then I have to thank you again for being that person. And you can meet unnie in a few days." Said Jan Di

"But how?"

"At the wedding of course, you are coming to my wedding right? Oh stupid me, I didn't even send you an invite. I promise that it'll reach you tomorrow."

"You don't have to do that out of obligation."

"No, I want to; and actually had another favor to ask you too" said Jan Di

"What is it?"

"Would you become my bridesmaid?"

"Huh?"

"Please sunbae, I only have Ga Eul as my bridesmaid, whereas Jun Pyo has three best mans. Please sunbae, do this for me."

"Ok, but that depends on which color I have to wear" said Mandy as Jan Di hugged her in excitement

"Any color you like" said Jan Di, overly excited about Mandy becoming her bridesmaid.

"But won't that disrupt the dress code"

"There is no dress code or color. Everyone is wearing anything they like"

"Then I will wear something in a dark hue like maroon or burgundy; something like that."

"How about you stay here and I bring you that dress from outside?" asked Jan Di

"from here?"

"uh huh"

"I don't think they would have my size, after all it's a designer boutique and they don't keep anything above size four."

"And what size are you?"

"An eight"

"I'm sure I would be able to find something, just stay here please."

When Jan Di appeared from the changing room, Ji Hoo and Woo Bin gave a sigh of relief that they wouldn't have to endure seeing any more dresses. But when Jan Di told them that they weren't done yet, the two friends again sat down on the sofas and asked the attendant to bring them some more tea.

Jan Di quickly rushed back in with five brightly colored dresses on a rack. "These are all very good Jan Di, nice choice" complimented Mandy "and all in my size; you are awesome"

"Now quickly try these on sunbae; the guys are losing patience just sitting there" warned Jan Di

"When are guys ever interested in shopping" and both the girls laughed

"But stop calling me sunbae okay; it seems too formal" Mandy said

"Then I'll call you unnie" Jan Di said grinning

Jan Di then reappeared after 5 minutes of going back; in her normal clothes.

"Where is Mandy?" asked Ji Hoo

"She is trying on a dress"

"She is getting married too?" asked Woo Bin sarcastically

"No sunbae; it's for my wedding; I asked her to be my bridesmaid and she agreed" said Jan Di excitedly. At that moment Mandy called for Jan Di. Later on the seamstress also joined them. When they all came out, Mandy was in her normal clothes.

"What did you chose, aren't you going to show us that too?" asked Woo Bin in the same tone as before

"What has happened to you today? Why are you being so rude?" asked Ji Hoo

"I told you I didn't want to come; you guys dragged me here"

"We are almost done, don't worry" said Mandy cheerfully "Why don't you finish off your tea while I and Jan Di settle the bill and then we'll go. And Ji Hoo why don't you come with me, I think I left my wallet at home so why don't you pay for me now and I'll pay you later." Mandy said, dragging Jan Di and Ji Hoo away from where Woo Bin had sat down to finish his tea.

"You have your wallet in your bag" Ji Hoo said when they were near the counter

"I know; I just wanted to talk to the both of you. I'm worried about Bhai, he seems worried about something."

"Yeah I noticed that too, he is always so cheerful and supportive" said Jan Di "What should we do?"

Just then Mandy remembered a place down the street she had seen that might be of use. "I've got an idea" she said, smiling gleefully.

She whispered her plan to Ji Hoo and Jan Di and both agreed.

Mandy went over to where Woo Bin was sitting and told him that it was time to go.

"Where are Ji Hoo and Jan Di?" asked Woo Bin as they got out of the shop

"They went ahead of us to the next shop" said Mandy

"There's a next shop? I thought we were done for the day"

"The previous plan was that only but as we got free early, Jan Di thought she would do another task so that it can be finished off. But don't worry, I promise it's the last stop for today and it's nothing boring like dress fitting."

"Fine then, let's go" sighed Woo Bin

As they entered the building, Woo Bin saw that the sign was covered with a sheet and inside also, anything that would give away what the structure actually was, was also covered. Woo Bin got suspicious and started asking questions.

"Just keep on walking" said Mandy and dragged him by the arm.

"This is it" she said again after a few meters, pointing at a door.

As he entered, Woo Bin almost got a heart attack from the setting inside.

**Okay so I got a request for a Ji Hoo and Jan Di story or plot, but sorry that is not going to happen in this story. Probably in my next fanfic but not in this one, sorry!**


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"Ta-da!" Ji Hoo, Jan Di and Mandy shouted in unison as Woo Bin entered the karaoke room.

Mandy had seen the karaoke bar sign as they had driven to the boutique earlier in the day. She had sent Ji Hoo and Jan Di and told them to hide the identity of the bar somehow and leave the rest to her. Karaoke was one of the things that no matter from where, everyone enjoyed as an activity with friends and it was quite popular in South Korea too.

"What the hell is this?" asked Woo Bin

"Well we saw that you were quite upset today and thought that this would cheer you up." Mandy said sweetly, like a kid trying to make the elders understand. "Do you like karaoke? I thought as it is quite common around here, you might enjoy it." She said looking for a sign of annoyance but Woo Bin smiled and rubbed her head fondly "I do like karaoke, thank you"

Everyone cheered and the Woo Bin took the mike and started singing Emptying by T-max. Even though Mandy couldn't understand a word, she danced to the music.

Then Jan Di started singing a peppy number and Ji Hoo and Woo Bin made funny faces. Mandy started clicking their pictures and they exaggerated their expressions even more.

Next Ji Hoo was up and he started crooning to 'I'm Yours' by Kim Hyun Joong, in a voice so soft and sweet that even though Mandy couldn't understand a word, she felt herself getting lost in his voice. When he finished the song, Mandy just looked at him with eyes that had awe, wonder, pride and a hint of love all mixed together.

"Damn, you can sing." She said in funny way to try to lighten up the mood. "Ok Bhai, now it's your turn again" she said.

"But it's your turn" Woo Bin argued

"I'll join in after you" Mandy said

"Ok then" and Woo Bin again took the stage.

"Now it's your turn" Woo Bin handed the mike to Mandy as he finished his song.

"Okaaay, what do we have here? Ooh they even have Hindi songs!" she said excitedly as she clicked on the title and started singing one of her favorite songs.

As she finished the song Woo Bin, Ji Hoo and Jan Di gave her a standing ovation and she bowed in front of her 'audience'.

"You can sing too" said Ji Hoo as Mandy sat down next to him.

"I try" she said smugly and sat like a queen afterwards.

Ji Hoo shook his head and smiled at her behavior; a habit he had developed being around her.

The karaoke session continued on for about half an hour when everyone decided it was time to wrap up for now but would continue when everyone was gathered.

"Thank you Mandy, for this surprise" Woo Bin said to Mandy as they were moving towards the exit. Jan Di had gone ahead with Ji Hoo to pay the bill and bring the car around.

"It was my pleasure; because of this I enjoyed myself a lot too. But next time when you're upset, share it with someone; it'll make you feel better. By the way what was eating you up today?" Mandy asked

"Just girl troubles, I'll handle it."

"It doesn't hurt to share; I may be able to help you."

"The night before yesterday, I was in the club and two girls got in a fight because of me and it would've been fine if it was one like I've seen before; the verbal ones. This one got too harsh and both the girls were bleeding. I told my guys to take them to the hospital and assure that they went home safe."

"How did the fight start?"

"Both the girls were trying to win my attention"

"And you tried to handle both?"

"No, I was trying to avoid them both. Actually I was trying to avoid everyone; I didn't feel like socializing and I went to the bar just for a drink but these two swarmed me and just stuck to me like glue. I'm really frustrated with these bimbos."

They had now reached the door and were waiting for Ji Hoo and Jan Di.

Mandy saw a photographer hiding behind a post box on the other side of the road and trying to click their pictures without getting noticed. She had an instant idea of how to fix Woo Bin's problems.

"Oh, poor baby, come here" she said inviting him into a hug. Woo Bin hugged her because he knew that their relationship was a not one of lovers but was a little surprised himself when she kissed him on the cheek as they were ending the hug. The paparazzo was having the best field day.

Woo Bin didn't get a chance to ask further questions as the next second Ji Hoo's car screeched to a halt in front of them.

**Please review. Thank you!**


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Ji Hoo and Jan Di settled the tab of the karaoke bar and walked towards the boutique to fetch Ji Hoo's car which was parked in front of the boutique.

As they got closer to the bar, Mandy and Woo Bin could be seen standing in the front and talking. Ji Hoo saw Mandy looking at someone and then she hugged Woo Bin and kissed him on the cheek. When he identified the person in hiding, he was shocked and furious and stepped on the brakes.

Mandy laughed at the shocked reactions around her. She dragged Woo Bin by his hand as they entered the backseat of the car.

"Go, go, go" she told Ji Hoo, but the look he was giving her said that he needed an explanation about what he had seen.

"I'll tell you all afterwards, first drive. Take us to the lounge, I'll tell you there."

Ji Hoo faced the road again and drove as he was told. The atmosphere in car was heavy; Jan Di , who was riding shotgun, was sneaking glances at everyone from time to time but kept quiet; Woo Bin was a bit shocked in the start and had recovered but also kept quiet sensing the mood; Mandy was thinking of the reason why Ji Hoo had acted the way he had. 'Probably a kiss on the cheek is a big deal around here, but then I also kissed him on the cheek that day, so why is he so upset?' she thought.

When they reached the F4 lounge, Ji Hoo was the first to get out of the car. He slammed his door shut and stomped inside the lounge.

Woo Bin, Mandy and Jan Di got out of the car and Mandy took out the keys which Ji Hoo had left in the ignition. "What happened to him?" said Mandy as she locked the car.

"The bigger question is 'what the hell were you thinking'?" said Woo Bin

"Huh?"

"In front of the bar, why did you kiss me?"

"I solved your problem" she simply said and started towards the door but was held back when Woo Bin caught her by the arm

"Explain" he demanded

"Unnie, I would like to know too" interjected Jan Di, looking at Mandy expectantly.

"You guys didn't see him?"

"Who?" asked Woo Bin and Jan Di in unison

"The photographer who was hiding behind the post box"

"Huh?" both again asked together

She then first explained to Jan Di the reason why Woo Bin had been upset.

"And when I saw the photographer, I came up with the perfect plan to solve your problem. Only we all know that your relationship with me is strictly platonic, but the rest of the world doesn't know that, including the girls that you 'entertain'. So whenever you feel like being alone; refer to me as your girlfriend and tell them to leave you alone."

"But how would anyone of them know about you; you are not that famous around here" said Woo Bin

"Yes but you are, and your popularity will ensure that the pictures that the photographer I know would have clicked would be seen by everyone in at least the Seoul area."

"Wow, you are a genius!" exclaimed Jan Di

"I know sweetie, but I still don't understand why Ji Hoo reacted like that" Mandy said as they entered the lounge.

Ji Hoo was shooting darts as the three entered. Mandy went over to him and just stood on the side, looking at him continuously.

"What?" he asked in an irritated voice

"I think I should be the one asking that. What happened?"

"What happened was that you kissed the person you call your brother, that too in public."

"Yeah so" now Mandy was also getting irritated by Ji Hoo's childish behavior.

"So you don't just kiss anyone"

"What's the big deal? When I was in the States I used to hug and kiss a lot of my friends, in public."

"Then you should have stayed there only" he shouted at her. "Why did you even come here, huh? This is not the States; you can't just kiss anyone and then say it meant nothing. And you are such a hypocrite; yesterday you were telling Yi Jung and Woo Bin to be considerate of other's feelings and today only you are toying with Woo Bin's feelings. You know that he was interested in you in the beginning but you put him off but now you start giving him mixed signals; is this way to treat someone?"

"I am not answerable to you. What my relationship is with other guys is none of your business" she shouted back

"It is my business if the guy is my best friend who is just being manipulated by some selfish bitch" he regretted the words the moment they came out of his mouth, but he didn't apologize or even try to correct himself. He just kept looking at her furiously.

Mandy was shell-shocked at what Ji Hoo had just called her. She felt like she was in a nightmare where her scars from her stay in the States were now starting to kill her internally. Tears had started flowing down her cheeks as she ran towards the exit.

Till now Woo Bin and Jan Di had not interrupted because they thought that the close friends would solve the matter themselves. But when they saw Mandy leave crying, Woo Bin followed her to see if she was alright and Jan Di went over to Ji Hoo.

"Sunbae, why were you so harsh to her? You didn't even get to hear the whole reason behind it"

"I know the whole reason behind it. I don't know if both of you saw it or not, but I saw her looking in the direction of a photographer who was hiding behind a post box and then afterwards she hugged and kissed Woo Bin. She is just trying to use us all. Now that I think about it, it has always been obvious. I mean she has all the same classes as me; what are the chances of that?" it had felt like he had been punched in the stomach, when he had seen Mandy kiss Woo Bin, even thought it was on the cheek. Why he was feeling this way? He didn't know himself

"That is not something very unbelievable, 5 other people share the same classes as you. And not everyone is trying to use you" And she told him the whole story.

"I am an idiot" he said sitting on the floor with his face in his hands

"Damn right you are" said Woo Bin

"Where is Mandy unnie?" Jan Di asked

"I went after her, she was crying so much and told me that she would not contact us anymore and that we should forget her and not try to contact her too" Woo Bin said. He then turned to Ji Hoo "I seriously feel like punching you right now"

"I know that I deserve it" replied Ji Hoo

"You have to apologize to her" said Jan Di

"I know; I'll go her house, that's where she probably is."

"Do you know what you are going to say?" asked Woo Bin

"No, but I don't think I am in a position to say anything anymore. I'll just have to beg her to forgive me for my stupidity."


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Ji Hoo's POV

Ji Hoo parked in front of Mandy's apartment building and got out of his car with a bouquet of yellow roses and a tub of vanilla ice cream. He got into the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor. Mandy's house was the fifth one out of the six on the floor. He rang the doorbell and waited for her to open the door, but she didn't. He rang a few times more but still no answer. He was starting to get worried now. He called her on her cell phone but it went straight to voicemail. He was a lot worried now. He called Woo Bin and updated him on the whole situation. "Don't worry, I'll put my men out and also alert others, you go search for her in the places she might go to" said Woo Bin from the other end of the line.

"I will, but I'm worried because she doesn't know the city that good and has barely been anywhere other than the places I've taken her."

Woo Bin then alerted his men and sent them out to find her, but it would be difficult as they didn't have a picture of her and would just have to find her by her clothes; a beige top with dark brown trousers and beige oxford shoes with a brown sling bag.

He also alerted Jun Pyo and Yi Jung about it and told them to look for her. Jun Pyo postponed his meeting and went out to find her and also told his security personnel to find her. More than a hundred people were trying to find Mandy. But she was nowhere to be found.

Yi Jung and Ga Eul also finished their date and were trying to find her. Everyone gathered near her apartment building and spread out in the four directions. Ji Hoo was going mad out of worry and blamed himself for everything that was happening. "Why did I have to shout at her? Uggh" he let out a frustrated sigh as he parked his car in front of the ice cream parlor where they had gone on her first weekend. Ji Hoo got out of his car and started moving towards the shop. When he opened the door of the parlor, he saw a girl with waist long hair and a ray of hope ignited within him as he started towards the person standing at the counter, but it turned that it was not Mandy. Ji Hoo then went outside and dialed the F4 network hoping for some good news but to no avail. He then again tried Mandy's cell phone but it went straight to voice mail. He left his 19th message for the evening on her number

"Hey, it's me again; look I know I was an asshole and didn't trust you on the whole situation. But please just tell me where you are; if you don't want to talk to me then don't but talk to someone else and just let me know that you are okay, please just call someone, anyone and go home or not if you don't feel like it but please just let me know that you are okay."

Ji Hoo had gone bat shit crazy and was not far from the state of a mental patient. Mandy had been a constant presence for him in the last two months and her sudden disappearance made him feel lost, like his anchor to reality was gone; the reality that he could move on from Jan Di and continue on with his life, but now Mandy's disappearance made him feel like the past two months were only a good dream and now it was time to wake up to harsh reality. He turned his car around and went back to her apartment in hope of finding her.

He sat beside her locked door with his cell phone in his hand. He was so exhausted from the whole scene that soon he fell asleep on the floor in front of her apartment.

Mandy's POV

Mandy had been terribly hurt by what Ji Hoo had said. She had always tried to control her tears in front of someone, but his words had stung like knives to her heart and the dam had burst. She couldn't believe that even Ji Hoo won't believe in her. She ran out of the lounge and took a cab. She wanted to go to her apartment, but decided against it; the emptiness would eat her from inside. So she told the taxi driver to turn in the direction of Uijeongbu.

She put her phone to voicemail and threw it in her bag. She knew that today only in the presence of the sounds of home would she find a little peace. When she reached her apartment at 11 in the night, she was totally exhausted and just wanted to take a hot soak in the tub, go to sleep and never wake up. But her plans got derailed when she saw Ji Hoo lying on the floor in front of her door. She rushed to him and saw that he had just fallen asleep. She took out her phone to call Woo Bin to fetch Ji Hoo and saw that she had 25 voicemails in her account. The first thought she had was that something had happened back at home and started listening to the voicemails one by one. She again burst out in tears when she heard Ji Hoo's voice over and over again, pleading her, begging her to let him know that she was okay, to tell her that he was sorry.

She unlocked her door and went in to put her bag and other carry-ons. She then again went back outside and tried to wake Ji Hoo, but to no avail. 'I would have to carry him myself then' she thought and rolled up her sleeves, literally and figuratively. She piggybacked him to her room and deposited him on the bed. She took off his boots and jacket and tucked him in. She then took a quick hot shower, changed into her pajamas, took out the extra blanket from her closet and settled on the couch for the night. Soon sleep came to her and she slept like a log.

She woke up at around noon to the smell of paranthas (a type of Indian bread, usually eaten during breakfast). She felt like she was back home in India when she ate them every morning with butter and curd. But when she opened her eyes, she realized that she was in Seoul only, in her room. 'I must be feeling nostalgic' she thought and continued on with her morning processes. When she entered the bathroom, she felt that something was amiss but didn't give it much thought. She came out after taking a shower in her bathrobe and stood in front of her open closet, like she did every day, to select her clothes for the day. That's when she saw the shoes; black, masculine, not her style and definitely not her size. But somehow they seemed familiar. The events of last evening came rushing back to her and she ran to the kitchen, in her bathrobe only and saw Ji Hoo's back towards her. He turned with a plateful of paranthas in his hands and smiled when he saw her. But when he saw the condition she was in, he turned scarlet and shifted his gaze towards the plate in his hands.

"I didn't want to wake you up and also decided to make breakfast for you. I looked it up on the net using your ipad, I hope you don't mind. I took a shower too. I also shifted you to your bed when I woke up in the morning and also wanted to say thanks for letting me stay the night" he kept rambling on, uncomfortable to be in the presence of a not-so-clothed Mandy. "And I set the table, so why don't you get ready and we can have breakfast" he said.

Mandy then realized about her clothing (or more like the lack of it) and rushed back into her room and shut her door. She screamed into her hands. 'Just great, I made a fool out of myself in front of him; please God kill me now' she thought. She composed herself and selected a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and went outside to face him.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Mandy and Ji Hoo sat at the coffee table and ate their breakfast in uncomfortable silence.

"Are they good?" Ji Hoo asked Mandy, trying to start a conversation.

She just nodded and continued eating.

"Your alarm clock was set at 5 in the morning, so I woke up early but didn't want to disturb you; so I transferred you to your room and thought that we could skip the classes for today"

"Okay" she simply said, without even looking at him

"And I also wanted to ask if you would go out with me?"

This got her attention and she looked at him with a deer-caught-in-headlights expression.

"Sorry; I had to say that to get your attention" Ji Hoo smiled at her and she melted.

She playfully hit him on his arm and smiled back at him.

"But I did want to apologize for last night; I'm so so sorry. I didn't know what came over me; the whole setting out of context just looked wrong and so…" he said

"It's okay" Mandy said lightly

"No, it's not okay. I was too rude, too harsh; punish me" he said, getting up from his seat and kneeling besides her.

"What are you; a five year old? You learnt your lesson and all's well now so there is no need for any punishment."

"But I really am sorry" Ji Hoo said "I didn't mean anything I said. The part of you staying in the States and the name calling; I'm really sorry for everything."

"I know that, so get up and finish your breakfast that is really good by the way" Mandy commented

"Thanks"

"Where did you get the idea?"

"I searched on the internet for popular North Indian breakfasts, and this one seemed the easiest."

"Yeah, it is; did you find the ingredients easily?"

"Took me about an hour to scour your whole kitchen for the things, but I managed"

"Good"

"But I'm going to make it up to you somehow"

"No need; I already forgave you last night. When I see it from your viewpoint, I guess it is my fault."

"What are you talking about? How is any of this your fault?"

"Do you know the reason I left the US?" Mandy asked, getting up and putting the dirty dishes in the sink.

"No; you never told me"

"The circumstances that led to my withdrawal from there were very similar to this one"

"How?"

"You know how I always talk openly and act very freely around people; well I was just like that there too. One of my professors was a really cool guy and was really friendly at first, but saw my openness as me flirting with him. So one day when I was talking to him after class, he made a pass at me. I didn't give it much thought at first but slowly he became bolder and one day he crossed the line; he tried to kiss me. I then and there told him that he was misunderstanding my friendliness and that I wasn't interested in him. So I was leaving the room, when he grabbed me from behind and locked the door. I knocked him over my shoulder and warned him to stay away from me or I would tell everyone. But he said that nobody was going to believe me. That if I told anyone, he would say that I was the one who hit on him and when he refused my advances, I told everybody lies, to get revenge."

Ji Hoo was furious at the so called teacher and wanted to smash his head into a wall.

Mandy continued on with her story "So I told my classmates what had happened, trying to collect as much support for when I filed my complaint. At first a lot of people were with me, but when the ruling day came, everyone turned against me. I later found out that they all had been threatened that their grades would get affected if they testified in my favor. After that incident I couldn't wait to get out of there. I had no reason to stay there anymore, no one was with me; no friends, no family. So I gave my finals, spent my holidays at home and came here for the final year."

Ji Hoo wanted to cry, he knew too well that he would be nothing without his friends' support. Mandy carried on with her explanation.

"And you know I think they were right in their reasons. Why would they help a girl like me? I put up that sort of an image that they couldn't trust me, so I don't really blame them. The problem is with me not them"

"Would you just stop already" Ji Hoo interjected loudly

He stood up from his chair and went over to where she was standing near the sink. He took her face into his hands and looked her directly in the eyes. "There is nothing wrong with you, do you understand me? Nothing wrong! That asshole teacher of yours was wrong; those so called friends of yours were wrong for not trusting you; I was wrong for not trusting you. But you are not wrong, and don't you even dare change because of what others think; you are perfect just the way you are."

Tears had started rolling down Mandy's cheeks as she heard Ji Hoo's declaration. She hugged him tightly and held onto him for a good 10 minutes.

When she ended the hug, Ji Hoo lightly said "But there is 1 flaw in you"

"What would that be?"

"You forgive too easily; a person says sorry once and you forgive them in an instant"

"I don't like holding grudges over little things; I try to understand the other person's point of view and act accordingly."

"Well it has worked in my favor till now, let's see afterwards, but I'd like to ask one thing"

"What?"

"Where were you last night? Your phone was on voicemail and you weren't responding to any messages. We couldn't even find you in any familiar places."

"We?" Mandy asked raising her eyebrows

"I came here yesterday with flowers and ice cream, to apologize to you; but you weren't home. So I told everyone in the F4 that I couldn't find you. All the men included, more than a hundred people were looking for you last night. Where were you that we couldn't find you?"

"A 100 people?!"

"More than a hundred; but you didn't answer my question. Even Woo Bin's men couldn't find you, and they know each and every place in the city."

"But didn't Bhai put two of his men on my tail?"

"You knew?"

"Yeah, they weren't really good at hiding, but I appreciated the gesture so didn't say anything."

"They had the day off because you were with us. But that still doesn't answer my question." He said impatiently. He was eager to find out where she had hidden that the best men in Seoul couldn't find her.

"Well if you look at it, it was really a very obvious place for me to go. But when you look at it's not so obvious too, because I never told you the whole history …" she kept mumbling

"I cannot comprehend a word you are saying"

"How about I take you there someday? It would be easier to show you than explain to you" Mandy finally said

"So when can we go?"

"Not now, I got my fill yesterday; I only go there when I'm missing home"

"Is it a restaurant?"

"No, it's not a restaurant; it's much better and homely than a restaurant. I promise I'll take you there someday. But what do we do today?"

"Anything you like" he smiled at her

"Anything?" she asked excitedly like a kid

"Yes, anything"

She smiled "I think I have an idea, but you have to promise to help me"

"Okay" Ji Hoo said. He didn't know what was on her mind, but he knew one thing; he would do anything to make up to her.

**This is all for today, I'll be back tomorrow! Please review! Thank You!**


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

"Let's invite everyone for dinner" Mandy said enthusiastically

"Where?"

"Here only; that's why I said INVITE"

"Are you going to cook?"

"Duh! How else is everyone going to have dinner?"

"But would you be able to cook for that many people? We are in total 7 persons. You have one day off, enjoy it"

"But I enjoy cooking; and I also had to treat you to a festive meal; and I also want to thank and apologize to everyone for yesterday. I can go on with ten more reasons, but I think you get my point."

"Okay, but I have one request" Ji Hoo said seriously

"What?"

"I want the largest portion of dal"

"Okay babu; you get the largest portion of dal" Mandy said, pulling his cheeks

"What's does this mean now?" Ji Hoo asked, referring to the new name she had given him

"It's an endearing term for someone you are fond of; like a kid in the family or for a dear friend. You know like 'sweetie'; it can be used in that sense"

"Thank god, I thought you were going to name me after another tragic hero" he said lightheartedly.

"Okay, other matters afterwards, but first I have to decide the menu and check if I have all ingredients I need"

"I can go to the supermarket to buy you anything you need" Ji Hoo offered "Did you go there yesterday?" he asked

"No; I promised you na that I would take you to that place someday. When I said I will, I will; so don't worry"

"Ok fine"

"So the cuisine is vegetarian North Indian food. Okay then first is dal makhani"

"Yay!" Ji Hoo clapped

"Second is soya chaap"

"What?"

"It's a soy product which is made in milk with spices; third is kadhai paneer"

"Again what?"

"Spicy cottage cheese with gravy; and last mushroom with peas"

"So what all do you need for me to bring?"

"But the whole menu is not decided yet" she said

"It's not?! What else is left? If you ask me, dal would be enough for everyone"

"These dishes are only part of the main course. There is still desert left to be decided. And this is not even a full festive meal. This is just something that middle-class people cook for dinner with family."

"Okay, but I don't know how I could help you with any of these dishes"

"If you can make paranthas by looking them up on the net, you can definitely help me on this dinner. Don't worry; I'll give you directions."

"Whatever you say" he raised his hands in surrender and went to sit down on the couch.

After checking the ingredients that she needed, Mandy came to sit down next to Ji Hoo and handed him a list.

"These are all the things that I need, so chop-chop. Get up and bring them for me. And while you are at it, also go to your house and change your clothes; you have been wearing these for more than 24 hours. Also bring an extra pair if those get dirty."

"Yes ma'am" he saluted and marched outside.

"Jhallah" Mandy said shaking her head and smiling at Ji Hoo's back.

Ji Hoo returned after 3½ hours.

"What took you so long?" Mandy said as she opened the door for him.

"There was a lot of traffic, and how much amount did you tell me to bring?"

"I wrote it down for you on the paper"

"Yeah I know, but I'm asking if it would be a little too much. The lady at the checking counter asked me if I was getting groceries for the whole month. For how many people are you making?" Ji Hoo asked as he put the bags on the kitchen counter

"The people I told you for. Come on now we don't have time. Put on this apron and get to work." She said handing him an apron with big flowers over it.

Mandy and Ji Hoo worked for two hours straight and Ji Hoo went to the couch and collapsed of exhaustion. Mandy smiled at him and covered him with a blanket and went to her room to change. She also called and invited everyone for dinner. When it was time for everyone to arrive, she woke up Ji Hoo from his slumber and told him to freshen up. He was still half-asleep when he dragged himself to the bathroom.

When Ji Hoo came out of her room after freshening up, he was surprised to see the change in the ambiance. Candles illuminated each and every area in the apartment and soft music played in the background. He could also hear a teasing jingling sound from the kitchen and went there to check its source. What he saw took his breath away.

**Okay, I know I deserve a good beating, I said that I would update regularly but what to do, my internet connection got a little skewed. But fortunately it's okay now. Let's see how long that goes on but I'll try to update as much as possible. Thank you!**


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Mandy was dressed in red and blue sari with a gold border and gave it a contemporary touch with a golden halter blouse; the whole look accentuated her curves even more. She completed her look with traditional Indian earrings, glass bangles and anklets; with her hair tied in a loose bun with tendrils escaping from it and falling softly on her face. She was facing the stove, therefore, when Ji Hoo entered, he got the glorious view of her almost bare back. He stopped in his tracks and just stared at her work in the soft light.

Mandy felt a presence behind her and turned around to see Ji Hoo staring at her. There was a very tangible current in the air; Ji Hoo slowly walked towards her and he was just two feet away from her when the door bell rang.

Ji Hoo snapped out of his trance as Mandy went to open the door. His friends had started arriving.

The first to arrive was Woo Bin. Mandy hugged him as he entered and accepted the flowers he brought for her. Not 5 minutes after that, Yi Jung arrived with Ga Eul.

"Unnie!" Ga Eul said as she hugged Mandy "We were so worried about you yesterday"

"Well I apologize for interrupting your date. Did you have fun?"

Ga Eul blushed at the memory of sleeping in the arms of Yi Jung when they got the call. They had been out on a picnic and both had fallen asleep under the shade of a tree. (What did you think?)

"And if I'm guessing right from the shade of your face, you did" Mandy teased her

"Unnie!" Ga Eul said and hid her face in her hands and everyone laughed.

"But Mandy, you got us all worried yesterday" Yi Jung said on a serious note as they all settled in her living room.

"And therefore I'm putting two of my men on your tail" Woo Bin said

"Weren't they already?" Mandy asked

"You knew?" Yi Jung and Woo Bin asked together

"Of course I knew; what do you take me for?" she said as she served them drinks. (Non-alcoholic mind you)

A few minutes later Jan Di and Jun Pyo also joined them.

"Unnie! I'm so glad you're okay." Jan Di said

"Of course I'm okay, what was going to happen to me?"

"Yah! Is this the way to worry someone?" Jun Pyo reprimanded Mandy

"Oppa, I'm sooo sorryyy" Mandy said sweetly, batting her eyelashes and then laughed out when she saw everybody's shocked expressions. Ji Hoo also understood what she was doing and joined in the laughing session.

"Why are you both laughing?" Yi Jung asked

"You were not there when this happened" started Ji Hoo "Remember when Jan Di and Jun Pyo got in a fight because of Ga Eul's boyfriend?"

"You don't need to remind me. I am still thankful to Jun Pyo for beating the shit out of him."

"Yeah well, when Jan Di came to apologize; Jun Pyo told her to say this same sentence, just the way Mandy said right now; and then only would he forgive her. But as you know how Jan Di is, she refused to do so and stormed out of the lounge."

"Well then Jun Pyo, you got your apology" Yi Jung smirked and everyone laughed.

"Told you that you were the entertainer" Woo Bin nudged Jun Pyo

"Huh? What does that mean?" inquired Mandy

"I'll tell you later" Woo Bin said

"But unnie, one thing is true; you are looking very pretty today" Jan Di said

"Yes unnie" added Ga Eul "This is the best I've seen you yet"

"Sweetie you've only seen me three times"

"That's not the point" said the stubborn girl

"Okay then, thank you" and Mandy took a light bow. "Come on let's have dinner now" she said and led everyone to the dining table.

"Unnie, we'll help you" Ga Eul said as she and Jan Di followed Mandy to the kitchen.

In the dining room the four friends sat in the chairs.

"So Ji Hoo, when did you arrive?" asked Woo Bin

"I've been here since last night." He further elaborated when he realized how his statement could be misunderstood "I mean I was asleep when she got back home and therefore let me stay the night. We had breakfast together and talked everything out and she came up with this dinner. I went back home to change clothes and got back here to help her out."

"We didn't ask for an explanation" Yi Jung smirked

"Well I had to give one so that you all wouldn't misunderstand."

"She forgave you that easily?" Woo Bin asked

"Yeah, she just said that it was okay if I was truly sorry. She actually started to blame herself even"

"She did?" Jun Pyo asked

And Ji Hoo told them all the reason why Mandy left America.

"So Jun Pyo, I needed you to do something for me" and Ji Hoo told them the plan he had formulated while he had been gone for the 3½ hours.

As they all agreed to the plan, Mandy, Jan Di and Ga Eul came in with the dishes in different bowls and a box full of chapattis.

"Mandy-shhi, this is really good; what is this?" asked Yi Jung about the concoction he was drinking

"Dal" Ji Hoo replied in place of Mandy

"I can see that the whole of F4 likes dal a lot." Mandy chuckled

Everyone just nodded and continued gobbling down their food.

"I'm full" Ga Eul declared

"Me too" Woo Bin added and one by one everyone joined them.

"Well save some space for desert"

"There's desert too" Yi Jung half-groaned.

"I don't think I can handle any more" Jun Pyo exclaimed

"Don't worry; there is a 15 minutes gap between the meal and desert." Mandy said standing up and clearing up the plates.

"Let me help you" Ji Hoo said getting up with his plate.

"You don't need to, we are all going to clear our plates" Jan Di said getting up from her spot and nudged Jun Pyo as she did so.

Everyone got up from their seats and took their dirty dishes to the kitchen sink.

"How about you all sit in the living room for the while and we'll have desert there only"

"Okay!" everyone replied at once.

"Bhai" she called for Woo Bin "One moment please"

"What is it?" Woo Bin asked when he was the last one in the kitchen

"I need you to come somewhere with me for a minute"


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

"Where are we going?" Woo Bin asked when they were in the elevator

"I'll tell you just wait a sec" she said as they reached the entrance of the building. "Call for your men"

"Huh?"

"The men that came as your security detail, and also the ones that are following others; call all of them"

"But why?"

"Just do as I say"

Woo Bin dialed a number and said something in Korean and in the next 30 seconds, 14 men appeared out of nowhere and stood in a line in front of them.

"Do they know English?" Mandy asked

"No"

"Then translate for me"

"Uh okay"

"Hi, I wanted to thank you all for the efforts you put in to protect me and my friends"

"Uh Mandy, it's their job to do so" Woo Bin whispered to her

"Just translate" she whispered back to him

Woo Bin let out a heavy sigh and translated what she had to say.

"I also got to know that you all were busy yesterday because of me"

Woo Bin had no idea where this monologue was heading but he just kept on translating.

"So to show my thanks I have prepared dinner for you all. Please divide into groups of two and come in my apartment pair by pair and give me the pleasure of serving dinner to you."

Woo Bin was surprised by what he had heard but translated her words and added some instructions of his own as to how to distribute the groups and who would come in which serial order.

"Bhai also lastly, which of these are the ones that follow me?"

Woo Bin pointed to two men standing in the right hand corner of the line and told them to step forward.

Mandy stood in front of them and shook their hands to show her gratitude.

"Tell them that they don't have to hide from me from now on"

"You are not supposed to do this because their job is to be invisible"

"Their job is to be invisible to someone who is trying to hurt me; not to me"

"Fine as you say" and he translated her words to the two bulky men.

"Okay then, you all please come up pair by pair" and with that Mandy trotted back inside the building. Woo Bin followed her into the elevator and looked at her fondly.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked as they reached the door of her apartment.

"What do you mean why? They stay up night and day to ensure that we are safe; the least I can do to thank them is treat them to a dinner."

Woo Bin rubbed her forehead lovingly "You are too sweet" he said to her

"You are the first person to call me that" Mandy said laughing

As they got to the living room, they were bombarded with questions as to where they had gone

"Just a thing that needs to be done; now you all sit here and I'll bring out the dessert in two minutes"

"Unnie, how can we help?" Jan Di asked getting up from her spot

"I don't need any, everything is already done. Just sit here and enjoy the evening" Mandy said to all and again disappeared in the kitchen.

"Where were you both?" Ji Hoo asked the second Mandy was out of sight

Woo Bin repeated the whole incident to everyone. Ga Eul had misty eyes when Woo Bin finished.

"Unnie is so cool" she said with a catch in her voice.

Right at that moment Mandy entered with desert.

"Chilled Gulabo Kheer for everyone…" she came announcing into the room but stopped in her tracks when she saw the weird look in everyone's eyes.

"Did something happen?" she asked in a concerned way

Everyone nodded lightly, still looking at her in a strange way

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

But everyone just shook their heads

"Okaay, that's your choice, but eat this sweet dish and I'll be back in a few" she said leaving the tray full of small bowls filled with kheer on the center table.

Ji Hoo followed her to the kitchen and embraced her from behind as she was reheating the vegetables in their separate woks.

"What is this for?" Mandy asked as Ji Hoo clung to her as she maneuvered around the kitchen.

"It's my way of saying thanks and saying how cool you are"

"He told you?" Mandy asked

Ji Hoo nodded. "That's why you made so much of food right?"

"You guys carry an army with you, so I had to make according to that" she said, letting him cling to her; it felt too good to let go.

After two minutes the first pair of guards arrived and Mandy led them to the dining room. In the next 45 minutes all the guards had eaten dinner and resumed their posts.

"Hai rabba!" she exclaimed as she sat on a chair in the dining room after clearing everything up.

The gang at this moment appeared and surrounded her

"What's happening?" she asked them but they gave no answer and carried her to the living room. "Put me down! What are you doing?" she screamed but nobody listened and deposited her on the chaise lounge.

They removed her heels, and Jun Pyo and Yi Jung started to massage her feet and legs; Woo Bin and Ji Hoo started massaging her arms.

"What are you doing?! Stop this" Mandy shouted at them all

"Don't stop them unnie, because they are not going to stop" Jan Di sniggered

"Enjoy it while it lasts unnie, Korea's F4 as your personal masseuses" Ga Eul giggled.

"At least click a photo then so that I'll always remember this moment. Jan Di, get my ipad from my room" Mandy said giving her specifics of its location

Ga Eul and Jan Di both went to look for the tablet and the guys reduced their frequency of massage.

"The girls told you to do this didn't they?" Mandy asked the guys

They all laughed and nodded their heads.

"You can stop; you don't need to do this. You all are actually hurting me more than giving me relief." Mandy chuckled

At this point Jan Di and Ga Eul returned to the room with the ipad.

"Unnie, someone is calling you on this" Jan Di said, handing the vibrating ipad to Mandy.

"Who is calling you so late?" asked Yi Jung

"It's not that late back home in India"

"Who is it; your sister?" asked Ji Hoo

"No it's papa" she said

"Your father?" asked Jun Pyo

"No, my brother-in-law; It's a long story, I'll tell you sometime"

She dialed for Sarabjeet and waited for the screen to come alive.

"Hi papa!"

"Hi beta, how are you doing?"

"I'm great"

"Why are you all dressed up? That too in Indian attire"

"Didn't you talk to didi yet? I told her I was hosting a dinner party today for F4"

"No she is stuck in a meeting right now, so she hasn't got back yet. So are you finished now?"

"Abhi kahan; they are all still here"

"They are?"

And Mandy introduced everyone to her brother-in-law.

"Mr. Song" Sarabjeet addressed Woo Bin "we have actually met before"

"Yes, I remember; at the international hotel convention in Dubai last year"

"Yes, I see you do remember"

"Papa, you never told me you knew Bhai" Mandy addressed the screen

"When your didi told me about them, I thought that the name Song seemed familiar but didn't pay much heed to it. My doubts are now clear now that I've seen him."

"Your sister-in-law is a very sweet person" Woo Bin said to the screen "The sweetest and kindest person I have met so far"

"Did she make dinner for the help?" Sarabjeet asked

"More or less; she made dinner for the security detail. How did you know?"

"When she was here; whenever her father hosted a dinner party, she made dinner for the whole staff herself. More than 20 people in total; and that too a full course meal. She has always been close to the help of the house and loves them like family. Usually the staff couldn't afford any outside treats like cakes and all on their birthdays, so she always baked a cake for everyone's birthdays."

"Saari polein aaj hi khologe kya?" (Are you going to reveal all my secrets today only?) Mandy said

"Ok fine, but I just called to check on you. We all miss you terribly here" then he looked at everyone else and said "You all take good care of this kid"

"Don't worry, we will" Woo Bin spoke up on behalf of everyone and the screen went blank.

Mandy had misty eyes when the call ended.

"You miss home?" Jan Di repeated the same line for the second time to Mandy.

Mandy just nodded lightly and put her face in her hands.

"You can cry if you like" Ga Eul said

Mandy just shook her head and raised it to face everyone. "I will fully break down if I start crying right now and that would lead to an imploding headache; which I cannot bear after the whole day's exhaustion"

"How about we take you home for a short trip" Yi Jung offered

"Aniyo! She would actually feel worse and would have a harder time coming back" Jun Pyo interjected. Even if the Shinhwa heir could be described as delirious; the one thing he knew and had suffered was homesickness.

"I know what will make you feel better after this tiring day" Ga Eul said. "A day at the spa with hot oil massages."

"Okay then, it's finalized. Mandy, Jan Di and Ga Eul are going to have a spa day tomorrow. Don't worry about your schedules; I'll take care of everything" Yi Jung announced

"You don't have to do this" Mandy insisted

"It's not just you; today you made us realize again, how much Jan Di and Ga Eul also did for us. So this is our way of saying thanks"

"Fine" Mandy huffed out a sigh and settled back on the chaise lounge.

The F4 again started massaging her limbs. "I told you to stop that!"

"This is our way of saying how cool you are" Jun Pyo said and everyone burst out laughing and Jan Di and Ga Eul took innumerable pictures of the gang.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

A week had passed since the dinner. The spa day had been a bonding session for the girls and Mandy was now much closer to both Jan Di and Ga Eul. They were now so close that Ga Eul, who never hid anything from Jan Di, was actually going behind her back in helping Mandy to plan a surprise bachelorette party for the to-be-bride.

But they were facing a major hurdle in their plans; they didn't have a place for the party. It was very difficult for them to find a place, where Jun Pyo wouldn't get to know about the party. If he even got a scent of their plans; he would turn the world upside down to prevent the party from happening; his possessiveness knew no bounds.

But Mandy had also come up with the perfect place to hold the affair; the porridge shop. It was literally off the hook; an innocent enough place that even Jun Pyo won't suspect anything.

Mandy entered the shop and was greeted by a sweet little girl of about 16 years of age. The only other customer in the shop was a well-dressed lady who looked like she was in her late 20's. Mandy took out her ipad to use the translator app, but the device won't turn on.

"Oho! It's out of battery; what do I do now?"

"Excuse me; can I help you?" the lady said in a clear accent.

"Yes! Please; thank you"

"No problem" the lady smiled warmly

"I usually don't go around alone in the city as I don't know the language, but this is supposed to be a surprise for a friend so I couldn't bring anyone along and otherwise I use the translator app on my ipad, but as you can see it has run out of battery. And I'm rambling on non-sense so I'll just get to the point" Mandy said taking in a big breath "I wanted to talk to the master"

The lady smiled and translated Mandy's words to the girl, who bowed and went inside to call her boss.

"So what brings you to Seoul?" the lady asked

"I am actually a medical student; I transferred this year to Seoul for my final year"

"You transferred here even though you didn't know the language?" the lady asked

"Let's just say I didn't have many options" said Mandy

The owner came out now.

"Hello master. Do you remember Jan Di and Ga Eul who used to work here a few years ago?" Mandy asked

The man just nodded

"Well as you might have gotten to know that Jan Di is getting married this weekend; so I was planning to throw her a bachelorette party." Mandy said

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't even introduce myself. I am Mandy; I am Jan Di's sunbae/unnie and also her bridesmaid. You can check with Ga Eul if you like" Mandy said offering her phone.

The man refused but asked how he could help

"Well I was thinking if we could use the shop for tonight to have the party"

"But why do you want to use the shop, it's not a party place." The man asked

"Well yeah, but that is the point of having the party here. Jun Pyo is really very possessive of Jan Di, so he would freak out if he knew that she was partying; but if he thought that she was hanging out at the porridge shop, he would be cool."

As the lady translated to the master, Mandy looked at him expectantly with the best puppy dog eyes she could interpret.

"Arasso arasso you can have the shop to yourselves after 8 pm" the master said and returned back into the kitchen smiling excitedly.

Mandy jumped out of excitement. The lady was now going out of the shop after settling her bill. Mandy went to her.

"Thank you so much for your help today" Mandy said gratefully.

"It was nothing really; enjoy the party and don't worry about my little brother, I'll take care of him." and the lady exited the shop.

At first Mandy didn't understand what the lady was talking about; but soon it came to her. She had just been in the presence of the charisma queen herself; Gu Jun Hee. Mandy smiled in the direction Jun Hee had gone and continued on her own way.

The party was a success. It had all the usual suspects; the suggestive cake; the dirty talks; the loud music; the booze; and also a stripper (courtesy of Jun Hee). The party then turned in to a slumber party at Jan Di's place but was more of a snoring party as the two best friends passed out on the floor due to the liquor that was in their system. Mandy couldn't sleep the whole night so she surfed through the pictures they had taken so far and also sent some to Niya and Harleen.

The next day, Mandy had dark circles under her eyes but was sporting a wide grin when she reached the ceremony venue for the wedding rehearsal.

"What made you so happy?" Ji Hoo asked as he sat down next to her on one of the chairs

"The party last night"

"What party?" Ji Hoo asked in an impatient tone

"Guem Jan Di's bachelorette party"

"But Woo Bin said that you were hanging out at the porridge shop"

"We really were at the porridge shop" Mandy said

"But right now you just said that you were partying"

"We did party; at the porridge shop. And it was really awesome and the whole setting actually worked in favor of the stripper"

"There was a stripper?!" Ji Hoo shouted

"Shhhh; do you want to tell the whole world? The stripper was actually a gift from Jun Hee didi"

"Jun Hee noona sent you a stripper?!"

"And also a bottle of Cristal"

"And where were the guards while you three were 'enjoying'?" Ji Hoo asked sourly.

"They were with us, just outside the shop; but don't worry because Jan Di and Ga Eul didn't really 'enjoy' that much; they were too buzzed to make sense of anything."

"And what about you?" Ji Hoo asked

"Though I was sober, I didn't really have that much fun too; the dude had a cute ass and all but was really not my type so I sent him back after a few lap dances" Mandy said to tease him

"You got lap dances?!" Ji Hoo's anger was now sky high

Mandy saw that the conversation was taking the wrong turn. She had thought that Ji Hoo would be cool with what had happened but it turns out that he is a typical guy after all.

"I only said that to tease you; calm down; I didn't get any lap dances. He did a dance at the tables but the whole situation was so weird that I sent him away. So relax okay; and you can't tell anyone." Mandy whispered to him

"Now I know why she invited us to dinner" Ji Hoo mumbled

"Huh?"

"Noona invited us to dinner last night and kept chatting with us till midnight. We were happy to spend time with her so didn't give much thought to it. But now I know why she did so; so that we wouldn't go looking for you three because we were busy with her."

"She is awesome isn't she?" Mandy stated in wonder

"Yeah she really is cool" Ji Hoo said

**I just LOVE! Gu Jun Hee. She is like the coolest sis ever!**


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

D-day came next day and the Gu mansion was abuzz with excitement. Even though the wedding was supposed to take place somewhere else; the bride and her bridesmaids were supposed to get ready at the mansion only (on Jun Hee's orders). This also meant that everybody was having a hard time to keep Jun Pyo from barging in to the suite where his bride-to-be was getting ready. He had been told that Ji Hoo and Woo Bin had seen Jan Di in her dress and now he was adamant that he had to see Jan Di too. His friends had tried and failed to get him to give up the idea and now Mandy was standing guard at the door to stop Jun Pyo.

"Let me in! This is my house and that's my bride inside and I want to see her!" Jun Pyo demanded

"Do you want to die at the hands of your bride? Jan Di gave specific instructions that you cannot see her before the ceremony." Mandy warned him, only wearing a dressing gown over her chemise with rollers in her hair and bathroom slippers on her feet.

"But Ji Hoo and Woo Bin have seen her" he groaned like a kid

"That's because they are not that special. A bride only dresses up for her to-be-husband; to surprise him. Jan Di is putting in so much effort to get ready for you; do you want to spoil the surprise?" Mandy asked him. She was feeling guilty that she had to take the emotional blackmail approach with Jun Pyo; everyone knew that he would do anything to make Jan Di happy; but she knew that it was the only way to deal with the stubborn Shinhwa heir.

"No" he said weakly

"So go to your room, get dressed, then go to the venue with the rest of the guys and wait for her to surprise you" Mandy ordered him as she pushed him away from the door.

"Tell her I love her!" Jun Pyo shouted from a distance

"She already knows!" Mandy shouted back and entered the room.

"You sent him away?!" asked a surprise Jan Di

"Yeah, had to exploit his weakness" Mandy coolly said as she sat down on a chair

"What weakness?" Jan Di asked

"You of course; the whole world knows that he is crazy about you so I used that fact to my advantage"

"I knew you were a cool kid" Jun Hee complemented Mandy

"Thanks didi" Mandy smiled at the elder daughter of Shinhwa, who like her title 'charisma queen' was looking breathtaking in a sapphire blue gown.

"Come on, get ready quickly; you all have only 30 minutes to get ready and then we have to be on the road." Jun Hee said looking at the wall clock as she exited the room.

"Okay" the three girls said at once.

Ga Eul was the first to get ready. She was wearing a pale pink dress that had multicolor sequins at the neck. She helped Jan Di to step into her dress and complete her look with the veil.

"Unnie you did a great job" Ga Eul said to Mandy

"Thanks sweetie" Mandy said from behind the changing curtain.

Mandy then herself stepped out from behind the divider and posed like an actress. "How do I look?" she asked

She was dressed in a vintage vine colored gown with a side slit till the knee; with her hair in curls swept to one side.

"Unnie, you look really pretty; and tall" Jan Di commented on the high heels Mandy was wearing.

"Don't worry; I got two pairs of shoes to go with this dress; one flat and one with heels. During the ceremony I will wear flats so that I mix well with you two and when we move on to the party, I'll change into this pair" she said pointing at her feet.

"But you look really sexy in this dress" Ga Eul commented "like you did in that sari that day you invited us to dinner"

"Flattery will take you everywhere with me" Mandy grinned like a fool

"But it's true unnie; even I noticed that the guys were sneaking glances at you" Jan Di added

"Awww, you two are the best friends a girl could have" and Mandy engulfed them both in a tight hug.

"Okay now it's time to go" Jun Hee called from outside and the three girls linked their arms and went out.

The guys were already at the venue and now the girl party also started to roll.

They reached the venue in less than 15 minutes and were ushered to a private room where Jan Di's family was waiting for them.

Jan Di's mum and dad were crying non-stop and Kang San; who was standing in a corner till now; couldn't stop the tears from flowing too and joined his family members. Thank god Jan Di's makeup was waterproof.

After a venue assistant came to tell them that it was time, Mrs. Guem and Kang San went outside to take their seats and soon the wedding march could be heard.

In the hall Jun Pyo was sweating because of excitement and his best friends were trying to help him calm down. When the wedding march started, everyone took their seats and the F4 stood at the end of the aisle, facing towards the entrance.

First Mandy entered with a bouquet in her hands. Ji Hoo couldn't take his eyes off her and so couldn't many other guests as she came and stood opposite him.

When Ga Eul entered looking like a doll in her pale pink dress; it looked like Yi Jung's eyes were going to jump out of their sockets and stick to Ga Eul like glue. She also got many appreciative glances from the guests but they were scared away by the death glare Yi Jung sent to anyone who dared to look at her.

Then Jan Di entered the room with her father and oohs and aahs escaped from everyone's lips as the beautiful bride walked down the aisle.

Jun Pyo was looking at Jan Di like he was seeing her for the first time. He held her hand and they both stepped up on the altar.

Jan Di and Jun Pyo took their vows and when it was announced that they were husband and wife; Jun Pyo scooped up Jan Di from the floor and kissed her. The whole room erupted in cheers and the Guem family again burst out in tears of joy.


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

The guests shifted to another hall where the party was being hosted and enjoyed the meal that was served.

The party continued on and everyone put their hands together for the first dance of the couple. Everyone made a circle around the couple as they danced to a soft music. Mandy was busy taking pictures on her ipad as she stood in the front.

"There's a photographer for that" Ji Hoo said from behind her.

"I know, but I like catching memories myself." Mandy said to him

"Why don't you make some memories too?" Ji Hoo said still standing behind her

"Huh?" and she turned around and saw Ji Hoo extending a hand towards her

"May I have this dance?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

She smiled at him and set down her ipad at the nearest table and put her hand into his.

Yi Jung had dragged a shy Ga Eul to the dance floor and both were twirling around when Ji Hoo and Mandy joined the dance floor.

As Jun Hee was standing right next to him, Woo Bin also twirled her onto the dance floor; not wanting to be left out. Soon other couples also joined in. Partners were exchanged and Jan Di ended up dancing with the F4, her father, her father-in-law, Kang San and many other relatives of the families. When Jan Di excused herself from the floor to go freshen up, the DJ turned up the party beats and everyone danced around freely. The people who danced the most were Mandy and Ga Eul; they would even dance by themselves if nobody else joined them.

It was finally time for Jan Di and Jun Pyo to leave for their honeymoon, which also meant it was time to throw the bouquet.

All the girls gathered around the entrance and the bunch of flowers landed with a girl in a floral dress, who jumped up and down with excitement.

Jan Di hugged everyone goodbye and had started crying till she reached Ga Eul. The two friends cried their eyes out and Jun Pyo and Yi Jung had to physically separate them. Then the newlyweds stepped into the car and waved everyone goodbye as they drove into the sunset.

People started leaving after that. Ji Hoo was waiting outside by his car for Mandy.

She had gone inside to retrieve her ipad but was so tired that decided to sit for a while. She removed her shoes and started massaging her feet lightly. She loved wearing heels but hated them when her feet started hurting. She then held her shoes in her hands and searched all the tables for the device but couldn't find it anywhere. She was searching under the tables when someone came in front of her.

"Are you looking for this?" a man of about her grandfather's age asked her; in his hand her ipad.

"Yes" she huffed out a sigh of relief when she got her hands on the device. The man was still standing when Mandy plopped down on a seat. Mandy realized this and offered him her seat.

"Then where will you sit?" the old man asked

"I can sit on the floor, I am still young. But your knees look like they are troubling you" Mandy observed as she sat down next to the chair on the floor.

"How did you know?" the old man asked, amazed

"You walk that way; with your knees jutted out. But that will actually give you more pain. Try rubbing some sesame seed oil on them every day before you go to sleep, and keep them covered; it will definitely help with the pain." Mandy said smiling up at him.

"Child, are you a doctor?" the old man asked, looking at her fondly

"Not yet, I am studying to be one; but this is a home remedy, what I told you now" Mandy said. She had started massaging the old man's legs automatically as she settled down near his feet.

"My grandson is also studying to be a doctor" the old man said

"Really! What's his name? Maybe I know him" Mandy said excitedly

"I'll tell you some other time, if we ever meet again" he said

"Okay" Mandy shrugged and continued massaging his legs

"You don't need to do this; you can stop now" the old man insisted

"Please let me do this; I used to do this for my grandfather back at home but have been away from him for many months and didn't get to do this for him. You remind me a lot of him" Mandy said weakly

The old man melted and they both sat there like this and chatted for 10-15 minutes. Then the old man took his leave and smiled at her as he left. Mandy collected her shoes in one hand and her ipad in the other and went to the room they had been to in the start to retrieve her other pair of shoes too. She then went down to where Ji Hoo was waiting for her.

"What took you so long?" Ji Hoo asked her when they were settled into their seats.

"I couldn't find my ipad" she simply said and Ji Hoo drove out of the parking lot.


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Jan Di and Jun Pyo were away for two weeks and Yi Jung used this opportunity to his advantage and nobody saw him in the evenings after Ga Eul's shift ended.

Both of them went on a different date everyday; he was trying to compensate for the years he had been away as much as he could. And nobody in the group said anything because they knew that the couple deserved some time to themselves.

After Jun Pyo and Jan Di returned from their honeymoon, the whole gang decided to get together. "Why don't we have a karaoke night?" Jan Di suggested and on one evening, everybody gathered at the Gu mansion for a night of karaoke.

"Who is going to sing first?" Jan Di asked holding the mike

"Me me me" Ga Eul stood up from her seat

"Why don't we add a situation game to this; we give situations related to any person we know and you have to answer in a song." Mandy said

"Unnie, you give me the situation then" Ga Eul said

"Ummm, okay; I'll give you an easy one. What would one of Bhai's girls feel after their night together?"

"I think I know this song…" Ga Eul said and clicked on an option on the list

_Your arms around me come undone_

_Makes my heart beat like a drum_

_See the panic in my eyes_

_Kiss me only when I cry_

_Cause you always want what you're running from_

_And you know this is more than you can take_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Baby please don't look away_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Oh, your touch so __bittersweet__, _

_Aaahh aah aha_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Your cheek is softly by the sun_

_Makes my heart beat like a drum_

_I know it hurts you_

_I know it burns you_

_Hot and cold in a lonely hotel room_

_Look into me_

_Tell me why you're crying_

_I need to know_

_Cause you always want you're running from_

_And it's always been that way_

_Oohhoohh_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Baby please don't look away_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Oh, your touch so __bittersweet_

_Aahaa aah aha_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Cause you always want what you're running from_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks_

_Baby please don't look away_

_When the morning breaks us_

_Oh, your touch so __bittersweet_

_Ahaa aha aah_

_Baby don't forget my name_

_When the morning breaks us_

"That was really nice Ga Eul; had the right feeling" Mandy complimented her

"Thank you unnie" Ga Eul said and sat down.

"So who is next? Sunbae, why don't you go?" Jan Di offered to the former Casanova. Yi Jung got up from his seat and everyone cheered for him.

"How about I give you the situation?" Mandy said "What would've Soo Pyo felt after Ga Eul rejected him for you in the club?"

"I don't know about him, but I feel pretty good about that now" Yi Jung answered

"But that's not how you answer"

Yi Jung smirked and selected a song on the list. The strings of a piano could be heard.

_Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now_

_Our song on the radio, but it don't sound the same_

_When our friends talk about you_

_All it does is just tear me down_

_Coz my heart breaks a little when I hear your name_

_It all just sounds like ooh…_

_Too young too dumb to realize_

_That I should have brought you flowers_

_And held your hand_

_Should've given your hour my hours_

_When I had the chance_

_Take you to every party_

_Coz all you wanted to do was dance_

_Now my baby is dancing_

_But she's dancing with another man_

_My pride my ego my needs and my selfish ways_

_Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life_

_Now I'll never_

_Never get to clean up the mess I made_

_And it haunts me every time_

_I close my eyes_

_It all just sounds like ooh…_

_Too young too dumb to realize_

_That I should've bought you flowers_

_Should've held your hand_

_Should've given your hour my hours_

_When I had the chance_

_Take you to every party_

_Coz all you wanted to do was dance_

_Now my baby is dancing_

_But she's dancing with another man_

_Although it hurts_

_I'll be the first to say that_

_I was wroooooonnnngggggg_

_Oh I know I'm probably much too late_

_To try and apologize for my mistakes_

_But I just want you to know_

_I hope he buys you flowers_

_I hope he holds your hand_

_Give your hour his hours_

_When he has a chance_

_Take you to every party_

_Coz I remember how much you love to dance_

_Ooh all the things I should've done_

_When I was your man_

_Ooh all the things I should've done_

_When I was your man_

When Yi Jung finished, no one cheered. He had sung with such emotion that the mood had turned heavy.

"Woah, you all are good singers huh?" Mandy said "That day Ji Hoo sung so well and now you too."

"It just gets better if you relate to the song" Yi Jung added

"Who were you thinking about? Cha Eun Jae?" Ga Eul asked sourly

"Aniyo!" Yi Jung protested "I was thinking about all the times you looked after me and even confessed your feelings but I didn't give you a second glance." He had now knelt in front of Ga Eul on both knees and held her hands. "This song makes me remember all the times I should have been there for you"

Ga Eul started tearing and hugged Yi Jung. "You don't have to remember that; you are here now" Ga Eul whispered

Woo Bin wolf-whistled and Ga Eul and Yi Jung got out of their small bubble.

"You two are too cute!" Mandy said fondly "like Ken and Barbie!"

"Not the name I was looking for" Yi Jung commented, smirking

"Yeah, but you are a lot similar to him" Mandy said

"Please explain; I would really like to know the backdrop behind this" Yi Jung said amusingly

"Well there are many similarities. You are good looking; famous among girls; and no matter how much they play with you, they know that you can never really be their real boyfriend." Mandy said, counting down on her fingers each point as she said it.

"And how am I Barbie?" Ga Eul asked

"You look like one. You are so cute, just like a Barbie doll" Mandy said as she pulled Ga Eul's cheeks.


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

"Then who's next?" Jan Di asked

"Jun Pyo is going to sing!" Mandy said

"Yah! Why am I going to sing? Jun Pyo asked

"Because you are the only one left; that day me, Jan Di, Ji Hoo and Bhai got to sing; today Ga Eul and Yi Jung have already sung; you are the only one left" Mandy explained

"Fine, who'll give me the situation?" Jun Pyo asked in a resigned way

"I will" Ji Hoo offered "describe your and Jan Di's relationship in a song"

"Yah! Why do I get to sing on my relationship, when all the others get to sing on others'? This is not fair!"

"Don't be a kill-joy" Mandy nudged Jun Pyo "Come on na, sing; you have got the easiest" and then she whispered in his ear "I can give you a song"

"Fine" Jun Pyo said and she whispered a choice. He nodded his head enthusiastically and tapped on the list. "Woo Bin I need you on this" he then called out

_As long as you love me_

_As long as you love me_

_As long as you love me_

_You're under pressure_

_7 billion people in the world to fit in_

_Keep it together_

_Smile on your face even though your heart is frowning_

_But hey now; don't go_

_We both know it's a cruel world_

_But I will take my chances_

_As long as you love me_

_We could be starving; we could be homeless_

_We could be broke_

_As long as you love me_

_I'll be your platinum; I'll be your silver_

_I'll be your gold_

_As long as you_

_lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love me_

Then Woo Bin sang the rap part

_I don't know if this makes sense but_

_You are my hallelujah_

_Give me a time and place_

_And I'll rendezvous_

_I'll fly you to it_

_I'll beat you there_

_Girl you know I got you_

_Us, trust_

_A couple of things I can't spell without 'U'_

_Now we are on top of the world_

_Coz that's just how we do (do it)_

_Used to tell me "sky's the limit"_

_Now the sky's our point of view (view)_

_Man now we stepping out like "Whoa" (Oh God)_

_Cameras point and shoot (shoot)_

_Ask me what's my best side_

_I stand back and point at you (you)_

_You the one that I argue with_

_I feel like I need a new girl to be bothered with_

_But the grass ain't always greener on the other side_

_It's green where you water it_

_So I know_

_We got issues baby true true true_

_But I'd rather work on this with you_

_Than to go ahead and start with someone new_

_As long as you love me_

Then Jun Pyo gets back with the vocals

_As long as you love me_

_We could be starving; we could be homeless_

_We could be broke_

_As long as you love me_

_I'll be your platinum; I'll be your silver_

_I'll be your gold_

_As long as you_

_Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love me_

_As long as you_

_Lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-lo-love me_

_As long as you love me_

And Jun Pyo posed like a rock star as the song ended. The room burst into cheers and Jan Di came and stood next to Jun Pyo and he hugged her.

"That was great!" Mandy exclaimed

"But you cheated" Yi Jung commented

"Yah! When did I cheat?" Jun Pyo flipped out

"Mandy told you the song" Yi Jung said

"No No, I was just wishing him best of luck" Mandy smoothly lied

"Ok" Yi Jung and everyone else also knew that she was lying, but let it slide. "But you're next" he said to her

"Yay!" she jumped. Mandy had always been fond of singing and karaoke ensured that no matter how bad she sung, she wouldn't be embarrassed. "Who is giving me the situation?" she asked as she took the center spot

"I will" Woo Bin said, raising his hand "What will Ji Hoo sing for his girl?"

"That really depends on what kind of a relationship they have" Mandy pointed out

"Ok then suppose you and Ji Hoo are together" Woo Bin started cautiously "What do you think would be your song?"

"Yah! Song Woo Bin" Ji Hoo started saying but Mandy stopped him "It's only a game babu; don't get angry. Hmmn let's see…" she said as she surfed through the list. "You know this is a tough one, but I'll just take my perspective"

_You think I'm pretty_

_Without any makeup on_

_You think I'm funny_

_When I tell the punch line wrong_

_I know you get me_

_So I let my walls fall down, down_

_Before you met me_

_I was alright but_

_Things were kinda heavy_

_You brought me to life_

_Now every February_

_You'll be my valentine, valentine_

_Let's go all the way tonight_

_No regrets; just love_

_We can dance_

_Until we die_

_You and I, will be young forever_

_You make me_

_Feel like I'm living a_

_Teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on_

_I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and don't ever look back, don't ever look back_

_My heart stops_

_When you look at me_

_Just one touch_

_Now baby I believe_

_This is real_

_So take a chance and don't ever look back_

_Don't ever look back_

_I'm a get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans_

_Be your __teenage dream__ tonight_

_Let you put your hands on me in my skin tight jeans_

_Be your __teenage dream__ tonight_

"I see that Katy Perry is one of your favorites" Yi Jung commented as Mandy sat down on her spot

"Huh?" but then realization dawned on her and she laughed out loud "What a coincidence; both of my good friends get Katy Perry songs"

"Both?" Jan Di and Ga Eul asked in unison

"I'll tell you about it later"

"Tell us now! I won't have time later" Jun Pyo said

"Ok; so I have this friend back home…" and she told the whole story about Niya. She also told the story of how Woo Bin and Yi Jung had thought that she was gay.

"You thought unnie was gay?" Ga Eul asked laughing her ass off with Jan Di.

"She's definitely not gay and we even have evidence" Jan Di said, trying to control her laughter

"Evidence?" the rest asked

"Yeah; we took her out one day and she kept staring at any cute guy that passed; or more so their behinds" Ga Eul said

"What! I have a butt fetish" Mandy said defensively "Everyone has one. Come on" and then pointed at Yi Jung "What's your's?"

"Legs" Yi Jung answered smirking

"Bhai?" she said as she pointed at Woo Bin

"I am not discussing my fetish in front of my kid sisters" Woo Bin said in a definite voice

"Oh come on, we are all adults here" Mandy insisted

"I said no" and folded his arms in front of his chest

"It's the front" Yi Jung answered in Woo Bin's place and got a death glare in return

"Jun Pyo?" Mandy asked as she pointed at him

"I really don't know; Jan Di is my fetish" he said, looking at his wife and grinning like a fool

"Smooth answer" Mandy complimented him

"Jan Di?"

"Jun Pyo" Jan Di replied back just like her husband

"Ok then; I think we would have to leave soon" Mandy said in a loud whisper and everyone laughed as the newlyweds blushed.

"Ga Eul, what's your fetish?"

"I cannot say unnie" and she hid her face in her hands

"Come on try" Mandy prodded

"Yi Jung Sunbae's smile" Ga Eul said in a light whisper but was enough to be heard by the person sitting next to her i.e. Yi Jung. He suddenly became very alert.

"Ooh nice" Mandy said

"What was it? I didn't get to hear" Jun Pyo complained

"It was heard by the person it was meant for" and Mandy said in a finalized tone.


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

Mandy was getting ready to sleep, when her ipad buzzed, indicating that she had a video call. It surprised her when she saw the caller id

"Hey babe, what's up?" Mandy asked her best friend

"Hey" Niya said weakly

"What happened? And where are you going all dressed up?"

"I came back already. It was alumni night"

"It was today?" then she looked at the wall clock for time "It ended early this time; it would only be seven in the evening there"

"No, it's still going on. I came back early." Niya said as she sat down on her bed

"What happened? Didn't HE come?" Mandy asked cautiously

"Oh He came alright; with his fiancé" Niya said

"Oh, sweetie I'm so sorry" Mandy consoled her friend

"It's okay, he looked really happy" Niya said in a defeated tone

"Are you okay?"

"I will be; it's actually for the better only. I was obsessed with him too long, now I can finally move on."

"That's right; and now that you're not interested in him anymore, guys all over would be really happy" Mandy cheered on

"I miss you a lot" Niya said

"Me too"

"So what are you doing day after tomorrow?"

"What's day after tomorrow?" Mandy asked

"When is our alumni always held?" Niya questioned her

"Two days before…" and then realization hit her "Oh! It's day after tomorrow. It came so soon."

"So what are your plans?"

"I don't know, I'll think of something. Oh my god I totally forgot; thanks for reminding me" Mandy said gratefully

"That's what I'm here for. Now you go to sleep, we'll talk later. Good night"

"Good night; bye; love you" Mandy said to the screen as it went blank

"Ji Hoo, would you go somewhere with me tomorrow?" Mandy asked him the next day as their classes ended

"Where?"

"The place I go to when I miss home"

"The same place you went to when we had the fight?" Ji Hoo asked

Mandy nodded

"Are you missing home?" He asked in a concerned way

"Sort of; it's just a special day tomorrow. So would you come with me there?" Mandy asked again

"Ok; at what time do you want to go? In the morning or after the classes"

"In the evening"

"So what time should I pick you up?" Ji Hoo asked

"How about I pick you up?" Mandy asked

"Huh? You got a new car?"

"No; we are taking a cab, because I doubt that there would be any parking space there tomorrow"

"You are not gonna tell me exactly where we are going are you?"

Mandy shook her head, grinning at him "But I have one question for you" she said

"What now?"

"What size shirt and shoes do you wear?" she asked with a secret glint in her eyes

The next day, Ji Hoo got a present from Mandy after the classes.

"What's this?" He asked, shaking the rectangular box

"Your wardrobe for tonight; be ready by 7" and she vanished again in a cab

Ji Hoo opened the package when he got home and was surprised to see what was inside. There was also a note in the box that said

Don't worry; it'll fit you nicely and is also in your favorite color

He pulled up the long shirt in front of his body and looked at himself in the mirror.

A car pulled up outside his home at 1900 hours sharp and the next minute he got a text from Mandy; telling him to come out. He checked himself in the mirror once more and went outside.

"Hey!" Mandy greeted him with a hug as he got into the cab.

"How do I look?" Ji Hoo asked, straightening his shirt collar

"Dapper as always" Mandy grinned at him

"What am I wearing, may I ask?"

"Kurta Pajama; it's a traditional dress for males which is worn on festivities."

"Yours looks very much like mine, except this long scarf around your neck" Ji Hoo commented "And why am I wearing this?" he asked

"It's Diwali! Happy Diwali!" Mandy said in a cheerful mode "It's the biggest festival in India" she continued on in the same tone.

"Is it like Christmas?" Ji Hoo asked

"Yeah you can say that; but it's not the birth of a god/deity. It'll take too long for the whole history but long story short- it's the return of Lord Ram after 14 years of exile and also after getting his wife back from the evil king of Lanka; Ravana. So in celebration of his return, the people of his kingdom lit lamps around their houses; that's why it's also called festival of lights. It's the celebration of victory of good over evil. And even though it's a Hindu festival in origin, but people from all religions celebrate it."

She then looked out of the cab to see where they had reached.

"We are going to reach soon. Just a warning, beware of the firecrackers" she said to him casually

"Firecrackers?!" Ji Hoo asked

"Yeah, well nowadays people also burst crackers to celebrate in addition to lighting up their houses and exchanging gifts with near and dear ones" Mandy said. They reached their destination and Mandy paid the fare

"Where are we?" Ji Hoo shouted above the noise around

"Uijeongbu area"

They headed towards a heavily lit marble structure with a dome and musical sounds could be heard over the speakers installed around it.

"What is this place?" He asked

"It's a Gurudwara; it's a Sikh place of worship"

"You follow this religion?" Ji Hoo asked

Mandy nodded "There's actually a history in Sikh religion too that happened on the same day as Diwali, but I'll tell you that later" and led him through the gates. "You have to remove your shoes" she said to him as they stood in front of a booth. "Shoes are not allowed inside"

Ji Hoo hastily got rid of the Punjabi Juttis Mandy had given him with the clothes. They deposited their shoes at the booth and Mandy put the token in her purse.

"Did you bring a handkerchief?" Mandy asked him

Ji Hoo nodded and got out the piece of cloth from the kurta's pocket.

She took it from him and folded it in half diagonally. "Bend your head a little" she instructed him and when he complied, she wrapped it around his head bandana style.

"You are supposed to cover your head as a sign of respect" she explained and covered her head with her dupatta.

"That's why most men around are wearing turbans?" Ji Hoo asked

"It's more of an identity thing than for covering our head. All Sikh males are supposed to wear turbans."

"And their beards and mustaches; what's the reason behind that?"

"It's also a part of our identity; all Sikhs are forbidden from cutting their hair."

"Why?" Ji Hoo asked, perplexed

"It's also a form of identity; it's a long story, I'll tell you some other time. I would have to explain the whole history to you and that would take a lot of time." Mandy explained

They then went to the sinks installed in the yard and washed their hands.

"Just follow my lead" Mandy said to him and entered the main building.

The inside was jam packed with people but a center aisle was empty and at the end of the aisle was a raised platform where the holy book- The Adi Granth, aka Shri Guru Granth Sahib- was placed and was adorned in the most bright and luxuriant pieces of cloth; filled with embroideries and sequins. Right next to it was another raised platform, a little lower than the previous one, where three men sat and sang hymns in praise of God.

When Mandy and Ji Hoo reached the end of the aisle, Mandy gave him further instructions "Fold your hands, close your eyes and pray for anything you like, just transfer your thoughts. After you are done praying, kneel down and touch your forehead to the ground" and then she closed her own eyes.

Ji Hoo looked at her for a second and then closed his own eyes and prayed. When he opened his eyes, Mandy was kneeling on the ground beside him and he followed her actions. They then exited from the left and got out to stand in a queue.

"What are we doing now?" he asked

"It's the queue for 'prasad'- the holy offering. When we reach the end of the line, cup both your hands and accept whatever they give you. It'll most probably be hot; so be careful not to drop it. Just juggle it in your palms a little, it'll be ok then." She said to him as they reached the end of the line.

Ji Hoo was totally not prepared when the server put a hot gooey substance in his palms. He was about to drop it but remembered Mandy's words and juggled it in his palms and blew on it.

"What is this?" Ji Hoo asked when they had got out the line and returned back in the front yard.

"It is wheat flour cooked in ghee and sugar; it's called 'Kadhaa Prasad'" Mandy explained "You are supposed to eat it. It's good, try it" she encouraged him as she gobbled up her portion.

Ji Hoo put a little in his mouth and was surprise by the sticky sweet taste and finished up his portion too. But now his hands were oily from the ghee

"Here" Mandy took his hands in her and wiped them with a tissue paper.

"So what do we do next?" Ji Hoo asked as he wiped his hands

"We light candles" she said enthusiastically, taking out a pack of six from her purse.

They went to a metal platform where many other candles were already lit and added the ones Mandy had brought to the collection.

"What next?" Ji Hoo asked when they lit the last candle

"Langar"

"Huh?" he asked, totally confused

"Communal kitchen" she just said and led him to another hall

The hall was filled with long slim mats that were spread out in parallel rows on the floor. "All the people are supposed to sit on these mats and eat together. This concept was started as a way to reduce the cast differences that were very prevalent back in the days" Mandy started explaining "Kings and beggars would sit together and eat together in this communal kitchen. It's a free communal kitchen where everyone is allowed. Before this system was started, the people of lower classes didn't have the permission to enter temples and were categorized as untouchables. This system said that no such discrimination was to be made. We are all human beings and therefore are all equal in God's eyes and are identified only by our deeds, not our wealth or caste." She finished.

"It's absolutely free?" Ji Hoo asked, surprised

"Yes, anyone is welcome. People donate money and food items so that the system keeps continuing on. People even do volunteer work; it's called 'Seva', which means service. All the food that we would be served is made by the common people only; they have other jobs but take time out to help around here." She said as they sat down next to an old couple on their right.

"And get ready for good news" She said excitedly "Dal is also on the menu"

Ji Hoo smiled at this as a small kid of 10 offered him disposable plate and spoon.

They ate a simple meal of dal, chapatti, paneer-peas dish with pickle on the side. It didn't matter who was of what stature in the society; in the house of god, all were equals.

Ji Hoo and Mandy called for a cab after they got out of the Gurudwara.

"So how was it?" Mandy asked when they sat in the cab

"It was good; a new experience for me. But is it always this crowded?"

"No no; it's usually very calm and quite around here. Today's an exception because today is a festival."

"How many times have you been here?" Ji Hoo was curious as to how close Mandy was to this place that she knew it was quite usually.

"I come here every weekend." She said looking out the window

"You miss home that much?" Ji Hoo asked

"Not really; I just like being here; gives me a sense of peace" she said "When I was in school, me and Niya used to go around Delhi and when we felt tired, we would go into the nearest Gurudwara and just sit there and then take the bus back home."

"You travelled by the public bus?!" Ji Hoo asked in a surprised tone "And no one recognized you?"

"Yeah, well I'm not that famous back home; when I returned from my kidnapping incidence, my sister was adamant that I don't get known in the media, so they hid my identity well. I got transferred to a normal public school and that's where I met Niya. She is the reason I know how normal people behave. I used to hang out at her house a lot and I mostly ate lunch there only."

"Your parents were fine with that?"

"My mom and dad didn't really know what was going on with me, they were always busy, but my didi knew and didn't mind. She would do anything to make sure I was happy."

"She is like a mother"

"And the age difference adds to that. She was already a teenager when this accident happened; so the terror of it was very much comprehensible by her. When they all went out to any social gathering, I was 'ordered' to stay home. At first I resented her for being like this but then understood her motive. She didn't want me to get recognized in the circuit. And that's how I got close to the help of the house. I used to hang out in the kitchen a lot; that's how I learned how to cook." Mandy smiled at the sweet memories

Soon they reached her apartment building and Mandy said her farewells to Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo sat at the back of the cab, thinking, how nice it would've been if he also wasn't as famous as he is when he was a child.


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

Weeks passed like this; the whole group hung out together and sometimes Ji Hoo and Mandy spent time together when everyone else was busy. Ji Hoo took Mandy out to many of his favorite restaurants; Mandy took him to places she knew about; they went to watch movies and soccer games; Mandy even got to see an exclusive concert conducted by Ji Hoo where she was the only audience. To anyone outside, it would seem that they were dating; that's how much time they spent together.

Christmas holidays had started and Ji Hoo dropped Mandy at her apartment building. They had gone out to watch a musical which was in English.

"It was really awesome, thanks. Actually everything that you have planned yet has been really cool, especially that exclusive concert you put up for me" Mandy smiled at him but then frowned

"What happened?" Ji Hoo asked

"I won't like listening to digital recordings anymore" and then laughed at her misery

"No problem, I'll put up another concert for you" he said and saw Mandy blowing on her hands, like he had seen her do many times. "Why don't you wear gloves?" he asked and took her hands in his as he rubbed them

"They irritate me" Mandy said and but didn't take out her hands from his grip.

"Your fingers are freezing" Ji Hoo said

"I know; my hands are the kind that even in the slightest cold atmosphere, turn ice cold" Mandy explained

The next day Ji Hoo had planned another outing for the two of them. He called her on her cell phone but she wasn't picking up, which wasn't like her and Ji Hoo got really worried. He then called Woo Bin to ask his men about her whereabouts.

"They say that she hasn't gone out of her house after she got back yesterday afternoon." Woo Bin said on the phone.

"Tell them to keep an eye out for anything unusual, I'll be there in 15 minutes." Ji Hoo said as he raced to his car

"I'll meet you there" Woo Bin said as he ended the call

Ji Hoo and Woo Bin raced to the door with 6 men on their tail and rang the doorbell, which turned out to be defective. Ji Hoo was getting impatient and told the bulky men to break down the door. When they burst in they heard a girl's scream.

Mandy was on video call with Niya, sitting in her room, when she heard the banging at the door. She got out of bed to check what was happening and at the orders of Niya, took the tablet with her. She was a few meters away from the door, when it fell down and two bulky, scary looking men stumbled into the house. Mandy recognized them as Woo Bin's men but Niya didn't know them and she screamed out loud. She was afraid that something was going to happen to her friend.

"Mandy! Are you okay?" Niya's voice could be heard from the device.

"I'm fine, calm down. I know these men" Mandy said

Ji Hoo and Woo Bin ran inside when they heard the muffled scream.

"Mandy!" Ji Hoo and Woo Bin shouted in unison

"I'm fine, why are you both shouting" she replied in a croaking voice

"Who is it?" Niya's voice came from the tablet

"It's Ji Hoo and Woo Bin" Mandy told her

Both the guys were looking at her in a confused way. "We heard you scream" Woo Bin said

"That was not me that was her" Mandy pointed at the screen and then turned it in their direction "Niya, this is Yoon Ji Hoo and Song Woo Bin" she said to the screen "And this" she pointed at the screen "is my best friend Ananya aka Niya."

The three looked at each other and said awkward greetings. Then Mandy turned the screen towards herself "I'll talk to you later okay?" she said

"Okay, vaise dono bade mast hain yaar (by the way both are very good looking)" Niya said in Hindi and incorporated the Delhi slang.

"Chaaron hi hain (all four are)" Mandy commented and smiled at her friend as she ended the call.

Mandy had started walking towards the living room and settled on the chaise lounge as she finished her call. Ji Hoo and Woo Bin had followed her in, with the door still on the floor of her apartment.

"Now, you two" she said pointing at them "is this the way you act? You don't just break down people's doors whenever you feel like it" she said as much loudly as her voice allowed.

"What happened to you?" Ji Hoo asked in a calm voice "No offence but you look like shit and your voice sounds a little off too. Are you sick?" he asked as he moved towards her and pressed his palm on her forehead. "You are burning up" he said in a worried way

"I'll be fine, I popped a pill a few hours ago" Mandy said weakly, wiping her nose with a tissue. "But that is not the issue; why did you break down my front door?" she asked

"You were not picking up your phone" Woo Bin started saying "So this guy became all panicked and also got me panicked and told my men to break down your door" Woo said pointing in Ji Hoo's direction, who had vanished into Mandy's room. He came out with a blanket in his hand.

Ji Hoo came up to Mandy and wrapped her in the blanket like a cocoon. "Why did you not call me? I would've taken you to a doctor" Ji Hoo questioned her

"How would it look like: a future doctor going to another one when she fell sick? I can treat myself just fine" Mandy said "And you still didn't tell me why you broke down my door. There is a thing called doorbell that you ring when you want to enter"

"That thing called doorbell was not working" Ji Hoo argued

"And you don't know how to knock, I guess" Mandy said

"He was too panicked to act sensibly" Woo Bin chuckled

"Of course I was" Ji Hoo said defensibly "You were not picking up my calls"

"My phone…" Mandy thought for a moment "Oh! It's on silent mode; sorry"

"It's good that we came, otherwise you would still be suffering because of your stupidity" Ji Hoo said and rubbed her hands in his

"I am not suffering" Mandy argued but Ji Hoo shut her up with his glare.

"Woo Bin, tell your men to take care of the door" Ji Hoo said and then turned in Mandy's direction "and you are coming with me". He said that and picked up Mandy, with blanket and all, like a parcel.

"Put me down!" Mandy shouted "I'm totally fine"

"I can see that. Just shut up okay, you are coming with me and that's final."

"Ji Hoo…" Mandy said in a warning tone

"Look, I know that you don't like people forcing things on you, but I cannot see you like this. So please just let me take you to a doctor" Ji Hoo said in a pained voice. "Okay?" Ji Hoo asked looking at her bloodshot eyes

Woo Bin had excused himself from the room when he saw Ji Hoo and Mandy's chemistry.

"But you have to let me get ready. I cannot go out like this" she said in a pleading tone.

"Ok" Ji Hoo said as he put her down.

She dragged herself to her room and hastily put on some good clothes and combed her hair.

She got out of her room and called out Ji Hoo, who was sitting in the living room. She went to the kitchen to have a glass of water but suddenly everything went dizzy and the glass fell onto the floor and shattered. Mandy was about to fall down but luckily Ji Hoo was nearby and caught her. "And you say that you are okay" Ji Hoo said as he helped her onto a nearby chair.

"How did you get sick?" Ji Hoo asked on the car ride

"I ate ice cream yesterday" Mandy answered timidly

"And you call yourself a doctor-in-training. A person with common sense knows that you are not supposed to eat ice cream during winters." He scolded her like a one would scold a naughty kid. "And when you get sick, you are not just supposed to pop a pill. You are supposed to get a proper diagnosis from a doctor and then take medicine."

"Sorry" Mandy said pouting; trying to turn up the cute. "Are we going to your grandfather's clinic?" she asked

"Yes" Ji Hoo said and kept on driving.

They reached the clinic soon and after parking his car, Ji Hoo helped Mandy up the stairs of the clinic. They sat in the waiting room and went in after all the patients had had their turn (on Mandy's insistence). While they were waiting, Ji Hoo brought over warm water for everyone in the room and generally helped around in any way he could. After sending off the last patient, Ji Hoo woke Mandy up from her nap (she had fallen asleep in the corner seat she had settled into) and helped her to the room inside.

All this while, Woo Bin had gone back to his office and resumed his work but couldn't focus on it completely. The way Mandy and Ji Hoo's friendship was growing into something else, made him feel happy. During this thought process, a new face suddenly popped up in his mind. 'Aniyo, it cannot be. I don't even know her' he thought. But why had his heart speeded up when he saw her face?


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

Ji Hoo helped Mandy into the room and into the chair. The doctor had his back to them and when Ji Hoo greeted his 'Harbeoji', the old man turned around.

"Oh!" Mandy exclaimed when she saw the former president.

"Hello child, how are you today?" he asked

"Harbeoji, you know her?" Ji Hoo asked surprised

"Yes, we met at Jan Di and Jun Pyo's wedding" Mandy answered

"When?"

"When I went to the hall to fetch my ipad" Mandy said "How are your knees now?" she asked

"They are much better. But you don't look so good" the old man observed and started diagnosing her.

"Your knees? Harbeoji, what are you talking about?" Ji Hoo was utterly confused

"Aish! You rascal stop asking questions and let me treat her" the doctor said

"It's cough and cold which has led to a fever" he diagnosed "So don't take any sour or tangy or cold things and take the medicine I'm subscribing on time and you'll be fine in no time, just take a lot of rest." He smiled at Mandy "And you" he turned to Ji Hoo "Take good care of her"

"I will" Ji Hoo said

"And find yourself a good wife" the old man continued on in his chiding. "I want to die in peace and see you settled down"

"Don't worry" Mandy started "I will find a good girl for him" and laughed

"Marry him yourself and I will die knowing that my grandson is settled with a good girl" the old man suggested

"Harbeoji…" Ji Hoo said in a warning tone.

"I will find him a girl even better than me" Mandy said smiling

They took their leave and Ji Hoo helped Mandy into the car.

"Sorry for what Harbeoji said earlier about you marrying me…" Ji Hoo said as he strapped his seatbelt.

"Arre koi gal ni" Mandy said

"Huh?" Ji Hoo couldn't understand a word she said

"I said it's alright; I just tend to speak in Punjabi when I'm most miserable or relaxed or tired, when I can't remember that I have to speak in English to converse."

"Teach me then" Ji Hoo said

"Huh?"

"Teach me Punjabi, so that you can be relaxed around me, so that when you are tired or miserable, you can be yourself around me."

"I don't really speak in Punjabi, I just use phrases. They are so deep set in my brain that I sometimes utter some words without thinking."

"So then teach me those phrases" Ji Hoo insisted "Like what you said at the night you invited everyone for dinner after you cleared the table"

"Huh… Hai rabba? It means Oh God. I said that because I was tired. You remembered it?" she looked at him

"I remember everything you say. I also remember that I was supposed to teach you Korean. So let's make a deal; I teach you Korean and you teach me Punjabi." Ji Hoo said as pulled up in front of his house

"Ok deal. But why are we at your house?" Mandy asked

"You are staying with me till you get fully recovered" Ji Hoo said when he opened her door

"It takes at least a few days for that babu; not a few hours." Mandy said as she got out of the car.

"I know that" Ji Hoo said as he helped her into the house and deposited her on the couch.

"I cannot stay with you"

"Why?"

"Because I have my own apartment for that"

"Well your apartment is un-livable for a few days anyway; Woo Bin called before and said that the door will take a few days to get fixed."

"But I only get good sleep on my own bed" Mandy moaned

"What's so special about your bed?" Ji Hoo asked

"It's more about the mattress really, it's a cotton filled mattress and I love sleeping on that. I got it specially delivered from my home. It's the same mattress I have been sleeping on since I was a kid." She explained

"Fine then, we'll have it delivered here too. Is there any other problem?"

"My clothes" Mandy started but Ji Hoo stopped her "Already taken care of; a suitcase of your clothes and all your necessary things stocked in the guest room."

"My TV and DVDs?"

"I can have them delivered"

"You take me as too easy a person. But beware" Mandy said in a warning voice "I am a 3rd degree Judo black belt holder" and made fists of her hands and swung them in front of Ji Hoo "So don't you dare try anything funny" she said mockingly

"I treasure my life too much" Ji Hoo laughed and put up his hands in surrender.

"Good, now are you ready for hell? Because that's what your life is gonna be for the next few days. I am not that easy to live with so I'm giving you a chance to change your decision right now" Mandy looked at him

"I think I will be fine." Ji Hoo said

"Ok then, first task; make me a cup of hot tea"

"Ok" Ji Hoo said getting up from beside her

"Not so fast; I want the tea my way. Put a cup of water on boil; when it starts boiling, add a pinch of grated ginger; break up one green cardamom and then add it; then add tea leaves, about one tsp; let it boil and add ¼th cup milk; let it have two or three boils and then add sugar; let it have one more boil and then sieve it and transfer in a cup" she finished, her voice had started to falter at the end

Ji Hoo brought out the tea in the next five minutes.

"How is it?" he asked

"Could've been better"

"You are trying to make me change my mind, aren't you?" Ji Hoo said as Mandy was slowly sipping her tea. She just nodded her head.

"Why?"

"I am just really uncomfortable with the whole scenario"

"Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that"

"Then?"

"I guess I'm just scared that my parents, both sets, would freak out if they got to know that I'm staying with a guy"

"I'm sure they'll understand if you tell them the whole situation"

"I hope they do" Mandy said sadly as she sipped her tea

"You know I really didn't take you for a tea sort of person" Ji Hoo said "And that is one strange kind of tea you told me to make"

"I'm not a tea person; I just drink this when I'm sick, as a home remedy. And it's called chai."

"Chai, the home remedy" Ji Hoo repeated

"Chai is just tea leaves mixed with water and milk. Whichever way you make it and whatever you want to add is your choice. The ingredients I told you to add don't really go well with coffee; otherwise I would've told you to mix it in coffee." She said as she finished her cup


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

The mattress and TV were transferred from Mandy's room at her apartment to the guest room in Ji Hoo's house within the next half hour.

The guest room was set up and when all of Mandy's things were taken care of, it looked like all the things had always been there, and always will be.

Mandy had passed out on the couch with a blanket after taking her medicine. When the maids left after finishing the room, Ji Hoo went towards the couch. He picked up Mandy bridal style and she snuggled up to him in her sleep. He set her down in her room and was about to get up after tucking her in, when something grabbed his arm.

Turns out, Mandy was awake.

Ji Hoo sat down next to her head. "What is it?" he asked

Mandy didn't say anything but, took his hand and guided it to her head. She steered his hand in a soothing caress motion in her hair and left his hand after doing it a few times. Ji Hoo came closer and stroked her hair till she fell asleep completely and her light snoring could be heard. When he was about to get up again, he heard light talking. Mandy was talking in her sleep.

Ji Hoo was fascinated by this side of her and even though he couldn't make sense of anything she said, he sat there listening to her mumbling. Names were taken; some familiar words were said; but other than that Ji Hoo understood nothing. After a while he exited the room and left Mandy in her dreams alone.

It was now late evening. He checked on Mandy from the door and then closed it again after he saw that she was sound asleep. He freshened up and was about to turn on the TV in his room when he heard something in the kitchen.

He saw Mandy, wrapped in blankets, rummaging through the fridge.

"What are you looking for?" Ji Hoo said, standing behind the door of the fridge. Mandy hadn't heard him coming and was startled to hear his voice; she had jumped from her position.

"You scared me" she said breathlessly

"Why didn't you call for me?" he looked at her

"Didn't want to disturb you" she said closing the fridge door and turning towards the kitchen counter.

"If I didn't want to be disturbed, I wouldn't have brought you here" he stated "Now tell me what you are looking for"

"Something to eat, but it's only fruits and veggies in here, no leftovers" she moaned

"A sick person should eat only fresh food, not leftovers." He stated again

"Well I don't have the energy of making anything fresh" she said scouring the kitchen drawers.

"That's why YOU are going to rest" he said setting her towards the couch "and I am going to cook for you"

"You don't have to; I set my mind on something else. Do you have any kimchi?" she looked at him expectantly

"No, but I can go buy some" Ji Hoo offered

"Rehn de. Do you have takeout menus?" She again looked at him expectantly

"No, but I don't think you should be eating outside food."

"I've got cough and cold; my stomach is fine. I really want to eat something good"

"What do you want?"

"Something good"

"What do you categorize as 'something good'?"

"I don't know, something good" she kept repeating like a little kid

"I really can't help you like this; you have to tell me something specific"

"I feel like eating spicy street food"

"Street food?" he asked like she had lost her mind

She nodded "Indian street food"

"Okay, wait a sec" Ji Hoo said and disappeared in to his room. He came out after a few minutes and offered her his phone. Mandy looked at him questioningly

"Tell the person on the phone what you want to eat and it will get delivered"

Mandy was still confused, but took the phone and put it near her ear

"Hello?" she said cautiously

"Hello ma'am, I'm speaking from Indian Rasoi, how may I help you?"

"Yes, do you deliver?"

"Yes ma'am, we do"

"Do you have street food on your menu?"

"What in specific would you like to have ma'am?"

"I'm really a looking at the menu and then choosing kind of person"

"Well ma'am we have a lot of street foods on our menu and anything else could be specially made on request"

"Oh!" Mandy's mood brightened "Then do you have…" and Mandy told at least six names

"Yes ma'am, we do have all" said the polite voice on the other end of the line.

"Okay then one order of each of the ones I told you"

"Okay ma'am, anything else I may help you with?"

"No, just these" and Mandy handed the phone back to Ji Hoo, grinning like a fool.

Ji Hoo talked on the phone a bit more and then ended the call.

"Happy?" He asked as he sat down next to her and rubbed her hands

"Very happy" Mandy answered smiling at him. She moved a little closer to him and hugged him sideways. Ji Hoo turned in her direction and the side hug turned into a full-frontal one. They just sat there for a while like this and Ji Hoo buried his nose in the crook of her neck. He breathed in her smell; lilies and, recently his personal favorite, vanilla. Her smell intoxicated his senses and left him wanting for more.

Mandy had one hand on Ji Hoo's back and one hand at the nape of his neck. His lightly ticklish breath felt so good that she shuddered from pleasure. But stopped her train of thought when she remembered that the person she was hugging was her best friend. She abruptly broke the hug and to hide her blush from him, she first distanced herself from him, but when it came to her that it would actually show her uneasiness more than hide it, she put her head on his lap and again steered his hand in the stroking manner she had done before.

"Why do you tell me to do this?" Ji Hoo asked as he continued stroking her hair.

He himself had been a little ashamed of where his thoughts were going and was thankful that Mandy ended the hug when she had, because there was no telling what he would have done next.

"It gives me comfort when I have a headache, but generally also it feels really good" and she suddenly got up from her position and sat up straight "let me do it for you" she said patting her lap

"I don't have a headache, you do" Ji Hoo stated

"I don't really have a headache right now; that was just like that. Come on, I promise it'll fell good" she again patted her thigh.

Ji Hoo reluctantly put his head in her lap. "Close your eyes, it'll feel better" Mandy instructed. He closed his eyes and Mandy started stroking his hair.

"How is it that this motion is making me feel loved?" Ji Hoo asked opening his eyes

"This is why mothers do this to their children, shows a sense of care and love."

"My umma was never here to do that" Ji Hoo said

"I'm sorry" Mandy said "But get out of this gloomy mood, because from now on, whenever you feel like, I'll stroke your hair, okay?"

"Why the sudden giving feeling?" Ji Hoo asked jokingly

"I cannot bring back your mom, so it's the least I can do for my friend" Mandy said, looking directly into his eyes.

"You already do enough for me" Ji Hoo replied

"I know" Mandy said haughtily and laughing continuously. A few minutes passed and Mandy again spoke up "You know you should change your hair color"

"Why, doesn't this look good?" Ji Hoo asked, looking at her

"It's good, but I think a more natural shade, like light brown would look much better on you; and while you're at it, get a new haircut too; something messy would look good"

"I don't like messy things" he stated

"Not too messy; you know one of those haircuts that are in these days; messy yet groomed that kind of thing. You'll look hot trust me"

Ji Hoo was about to say something when the doorbell rang.


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

"It must be the delivery guy, go check" Mandy said as she tapped Ji Hoo's forehead lightly

Ji Hoo got up from her lap. He got back after 10 minutes with two poly bags in his hands and set them on the table in front of them. Mandy looked into the bags excitedly and took out the delivery boxes one by one. Ji Hoo brought in plates and spoons.

"We only need spoons" Mandy announced as she crossed her legs on the couch. She picked up a box but set it down on her lap

"What is it?" Ji Hoo asked when he saw this

"You don't have a TV here, let's go to my temp room" she said cheerfully as she collected her blanket in one hand and two boxes in the other.

Ji Hoo followed her with the rest of the boxes.

Mandy put a CD in the player and both settled down on the mattress.

"What are we watching?" Ji Hoo asked

"Blind Dating"

"The movie?"

"Yep; have you seen it before?"

"No; how is it?"

"I kind of like it. You may or may not"

"What's this we are eating?" Ji Hoo asked motioning towards the box in his hand

"Papri chaat; I opened this first coz it'll get soggy afterwards" she said without turning her eyes away from the TV.

"It's nice; and refreshing" Ji Hoo commented

Mandy and Ji Hoo finished all the boxes till the movie finished.

"So how was it?" Mandy asked

"It was good, funny; I've never really watched romantic comedies before; but it was a good experience, like this street food. Did I say it's very refreshing?"

"Yes you did. That's the purpose of street food. If you feel down and want to try something new, you eat this."

After a few moments she again spoke up

"Ji Hoo?"

"Hmm"

"What kind of girl do you like?"

"Why do you suddenly have an interest in my love life?"

"Well it's not so sudden; we watched this movie and I was thinking if I should also set you up on some dates"

"I don't want to date"

"Why"

"For the most of my life till now, I've suffered rejection only. I want to take a break from the whole heartbreaking process. I was actually considering monkhood" he joked

"Oye! That's not funny! Think about your Harbeoji; don't give him a heart attack" Mandy said hitting him playfully

"Don't worry; I won't. But I do want to take a break."

"But still, tell me; what kinds of girls do you like? And now that I think about it, I didn't even get to know your fetish that day"

"I don't really have one; you can see that Seo Hyun and Jan Di had nothing in common physically but I loved them both."

"Hmmn, this is going to be more difficult than I thought. Okay then what attracted you to Seo Hyun?"

"She was just an angel for me, when I was down she picked me up. She did things for me that not even my best friends could."

"And what did you like about Jan Di?"

"Her determination, her fighting spirit; how she stood up against Jun Pyo in the start. Also how she never gave up on her love towards him. I think I fell in love with her after I saw how fiercely she could love. I wanted someone like that in my life too, who no matter what, would never leave my side."

"So you want someone you can depend upon emotionally"  
"You can say so"

"So what should she look like?"

"Doesn't really matter"

"Oh please, there have to be some specifics."

"Not really; looks don't matter to me"

"Every guy says that but in the end looks do matter. You start liking the slimmer girl, the prettier girl, the smarter girl" She said sourly, looking at a distance

"Who was it?" Ji Hoo asked

"Who was what?" She looked at him, faking confusion

"The guy who broke your heart"

"Who said anyone broke my heart? What non-sense are you talking about?"

"I know you this well to know when you are lying and when you are telling the truth. So tell me who was it?" Ji Hoo looked her straight in the eyes

"A guy who was a friend of mine from a long time back. He had changed schools when we were in 4th grade but we still somehow were in contact. He asked me out when we were in the end years of high school. Nobody knew except Niya; love affairs are not really supported in my family, so I didn't even tell my sister, and I tell her EVERYTHING. All was going on fine for some time, but then I got to know that he was two timing me with another girl from his school. When I confronted him, he said that it was all a joke, that how could I even think that a girl like me who was not pretty and wasn't even good at studies, had no family background think that a guy like him would ever like me."

"Didn't he know about your family?" Ji Hoo asked. He was acting calm on the outside but inside he was fuming and wanted to strangle this guy

"No, like I told you before, that my family was adamant that I don't get recognized in the media. But I got my revenge" she said with an evil glint in her eyes

"He had dumped me in the month of September. My 18th birthday was coming up in a few months and I planned it out intensively. I convinced my parents that it was time that I get known in the media now. Surprisingly they agreed very soon, probably because I was going to become an adult now. I planned the whole bash myself; I worked out and reduced two sizes; I got myself done by the best team there was and also sent him an invite."

"I think I know where this is going"

"Oh, but there's another surprise, I asked another of my friends to act as my date in front of him. I even faked a kiss in front of him, because I never gave him one. I know it's childish but it felt so good to see his expression that even though I hate to deceive people, I put up with it all to see the expression on his face."

"And; what else did you do? Because I'm getting the feeling that there's more"

"Oh there is. I kept myself occupied with one thing or the other the whole evening and ignored him completely. But at one point I gave him a window in which he could contact me, and like I had thought, he did. He said he was sorry and wanted to come back. And I said that I was already done with him. My plan was till then only, to dump him, but he made a fool of himself by what he did next. When I got up from my spot and turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. I always used to blush when he was close to me and he was trying to use that to his advantage; but I was so angry with this fucker; he had only invited more trouble when he did that. I pushed him away from me and when he tried to come close again, like I knew he would, I kneed him in the gonads and punched him in the nose. Fortunately a reporter was nearby too, and the next day his scrunched up expression was the highlight of the article on my birthday party." She beamed a victorious smile

Ji Hoo shook his head and smiled

"What's so funny?" Mandy asked

"You seriously show different sides of yourself every day. And you react so differently in similar situations. During the professor incident, you just ran away but here you take on full revenge."

"Well the situations are not that similar. This was on my home turf; that was on a foreign land. And this guy was a friend for a long time; so the degree of his crime was higher. And I got my revenge from the professor too, when I was about to leave for the airport, I paid some thugs to smash his car during the night. Like I said, I don't like holding grudges for too long, so I got even" she said as matter of fact.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side again" and they both laughed together.

**[A/N: Hey guys! Double update today *hallelujah* ;) Enjoy everyone :D**

**And yeah, don't forget to comment! Love reading all your reviews and thoughts **

**Thanks again everyone! Until we meet again….Namaste!]**


	33. Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

"Mandy?" Ji Hoo said after their laughs had reduced a bit.

"Hmm"

"When is your birthday? You said he dumped you in September and your birthday was a few months after that. Has it already gone?"

"No, it's still to come"

"When is it?"

"27th January"

"Hmmn, good then I have time to buy you a gift. What do you want?"

"You are supposed to surprise people with gifts, not ask them and give them; because if I want something I can get it myself."

"I'm not really a good gift giver"

"Then start thinking now, you have more than a month to decide." And she again set her head in his lap "and do that thing to my hair while you do so"

But Ji Hoo pushed her head away and got up from his spot

"What?" she asked in an irritated voice

"First take your medicine, because I know that you'll fall asleep if I start stroking your hair and I won't have the heart to wake you up then." He said handing her the medicine.

"Let me get you a glass of water" he said and vanished into the kitchen. He returned after two minutes

After Mandy swallowed her medicine, she again set her head in his lap. Ji Hoo stroked her head for the second time that day till she fell asleep.

Next day Mandy got visitors. She had fallen asleep after taking her medicine in the afternoon and Ji Hoo had gone to the market to buy some things. When he returned Jan Di and Ga Eul were standing at his doorstep.

"Sunbae, where were you?" Jan Di asked Ji Hoo "I tried your number so many times"

He checked his pockets "I think I left it inside" Ji Hoo said

"But where were you?"

"I went grocery shopping"

"You went grocery shopping? Since when do you shop for groceries yourself?" Jan Di had an unbelieving expression on her face

"I went to shop for some special ingredients that I need to cook food for Mandy" Ji Hoo simply said as he let the friends in

"You learned to cook?" Both the friends said in unison

"Yeah, Mandy taught me" he said, vanishing into the kitchen

Ga Eul and Jan Di looked at each other and then at Ji Hoo but didn't comment and silently followed him. When they entered the kitchen, they saw Ji Hoo arranging a bunch of white lilies in a glass vase.

"Where is unnie right now?" Ga Eul asked

"She is sleeping right now." He said as he moved to the kitchen "Would you like some tea?" he asked smiling at them from behind the kitchen counter

"Uh…okay" they said uncomfortably

"If you are making tea, make one for me too, and make it sweet" Mandy said standing a few feet behind Jan Di and Ga Eul

"Unnie!" both the girls ran to her and hugged her.

"How are you two?" Mandy asked as they sat on the kitchen stools

"The question is unnie, how are you doing?" said Ga Eul

"As you can see, I'm doing well. I'm definitely doing better than yesterday" and then her eyes roamed to the lilies. "Oh you two remembered… you two are so sweet" she said as she scooted towards the vase

"Actually unnie, Ji Hoo sunbae brought that" Ga Eul said hesitantly

"What?" and then she gave Ji Hoo a questioning look

"I thought you might like them" Ji Hoo said scratching the back of his head. The calm Ji Hoo was acting like an anxious teenager.

"I do like them; they are my favorite. How did you know?"

"Just a guess" Ji Hoo said and turned towards the fridge to hide his expression

"Are you making chai?" Mandy asked when Ji Hoo took out the carton of milk

"Yes, don't you want that?" Ji Hoo asked

"I don't think it will suit their tastes, so make the herbal tea you usually make, I'll drink that too" Mandy said

"What is chai?" asked the ever curious Ga Eul

They all continued chatting and after a while Ji Hoo left the three girls alone. They all moved to Mandy's temp room as she liked to call the guest room.

"Unnie, I actually came to invite you to dinner tomorrow" Ga Eul said

"What's the occasion?" Mandy asked

"Unnie! Did you forget? It's Christmas" Jan Di said

"Oh! Right, it is. I finally get to see your home then huh Ga Eul? Would your parents be there too; I didn't get to properly meet them at Jan Di's wedding." Mandy said

"Actually unnie, there is another reason for the dinner party too" Ga Eul said blushing.

"What is it?"

"I moved in with Yi Jung sunbae" Ga Eul said shyly

"Congratulations! Why didn't you say so before! Oh my god, did you do it?" Mandy asked her

"Unnie!" Ga Eul said and hid her face in her hands

"She totally did it right?" Mandy looked at Jan Di

Jan Di nodded and the two girls burst out laughing.

"But this is no fair!" Mandy started "You both lost your virginities before I did. And I'm older than you both!" and the two younger girls laughed

"But tell me" Mandy whispered to them "is it good?"

Jan Di first looked at Ga Eul and then at Mandy and then both she and Ga Eul nodded together

"Really? How does it feel?"

"Unnie!" Ga Eul admonished her

"Oh come on, dish the details, because I'm not letting you two go anywhere before you tell me" Mandy said and held onto a wrist of both the girls with each of her hands.

After a lot of convincing and prodding, Jan Di and Ga Eul shared almost every detail with her. The girls talked for more than two whole hours.

After the two also invited Ji Hoo for the dinner and took their leave, Mandy went to the kitchen to have a glass of water and saw Ji Hoo watering the lily vase.

"Thanks for the flowers" she said as she plopped herself onto the counter and smelled the flowers. "Uggh, my nose is still blocked, I can't smell these"

"Don't worry it'll get better" Ji Hoo consoled her as he rubbed her hands and then poured himself a glass of water too.

"Ji Hoo, have you ever had sex before?" Mandy asked coolly

Her question had made him sputter the water in his mouth and cough.

"No…" he said looking at her suspiciously "Why are you having these thoughts?" Ji Hoo asked as he wiped off the water

"Ga Eul lost her virginity" she said coolly again

"Didn't need to know that" Ji Hoo commented

"Oh, come on. One day or another you are going to have sex with someone, and you are a medical student, so it shouldn't be an issue."

"That doesn't mean you talk about it openly"

"What's the harm? We have to confront it one day"

"Why haven't _you_ confronted it yet?" Ji Hoo asked cautiously "Didn't you find someone you liked?"

"Like I said before, love affairs are not really supported in my family. My parents grew up in those ideologies and would be very against these things. In the end they would only truly accept it if I married a guy of whom they approved. And after what happened with my so called ex, I try not to fall for someone deliberately. But I sometimes feel like I'm missing out on things" Mandy said looking into the distance. "Jan Di and Ga Eul say it's good, Niya says it's good; maybe I should try it." But she saw that Ji Hoo was looking at her weirdly "I'm not going to rape you, relax. I was just wondering how it would feel like having sex."

"So what's this you-marrying-a-guy-your-parents-choose-for-you talk? Didn't you say you don't let anyone make decisions for you?" Ji Hoo asked

"In the end it will be my choice if I marry the guy or not, no one can force me into it. My parents would just suggest a guy."

"But can't you convince them if you fall for a guy and want to marry him?"

"They will agree but not wholeheartedly; and there's no guarantee that if I have a love marriage it would be successful. My sister had an arranged marriage and she is very happy right now."

"So you just marry any guy your parents tell you to marry?" Ji Hoo asked impatiently

"It's not like that. First my parents show me the guy's photo and tell me about his family and profession and bank balance, you know the things that usually matter to parents. The same is being said to the guy for me by the guy's parents. Then we meet each other a few times and then decide if we want to spend the rest of our lives together. If yes, then all is good; if not, then we move on to the next candidate." Mandy explained

"This makes it sound more like a job interview than marriage." Ji Hoo said annoyingly

"Why are you being this way?" Mandy asked

"It just annoys me to see that another one of my friends would be married off against their wish"

"But I won't get married against my wishes; my parents will fully respect my decision. It's not like the old days now where you were told a month ahead that you were getting married to someone you have never met before."

"That happened?" Ji Hoo asked unbelievably

"Happened to my mum and dad; also happened to all my aunts and uncles. Rules change with every generation. My parents' generation is more considerate and therefore this meeting before the marriage system. Me and my cousins would be more considerate and would agree to love marriages happily and so on and so forth." She explained to him

"But I still can't believe how you can decide if you can spend the rest of your life with a person on the basis of a few dates." Ji Hoo pouted like a child. Mandy was sitting on the counter with her legs crossed and Ji Hoo was standing in front of her with his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Don't worry babu" she said pulling his cheeks "I'll take the decision carefully when the time comes. But you have to promise me one thing." She said in a serious tone

"What?"

"If I find out before the marriage that the guy is not good for me; you'll have to elope with me" and she burst out laughing

"OK, promise" Ji Hoo said, joining in the laughter.


	34. Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

The next morning, Ji Hoo woke up to the sound of bells. He followed the sounds and ended up in his living room.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he saw Mandy and a very decorated live Christmas tree in his living room, which had not been there before.

"Merry Christmas" Mandy said awkwardly, dressed in her pajamas.

"It's 6 in the morning; why are you up so early?" Ji Hoo asked her

"You didn't have a Christmas tree in your home, so I got the one at my apartment. You also didn't have any baubles, so I got those too. And lights and other things…" she stopped mid sentence after she saw his annoying expression. "You don't like it" Mandy stated "I'll move it away in some time" she said as she turned towards the plant and started taking off the decorations.

Ji Hoo walked up to her and held her wrist to stop her from continuing and took it in his and rubbed it. "Who said I didn't like it?" he said

"You looked annoyed just now" Mandy said weakly

"I'm annoyed at the fact that you are not taking care of yourself. At what time did you get up?" and he moves his hand to her forehead "And you are burning up again. I brought you here so you could rest, not so that you can overwork"

"I'm not over working myself" Mandy tried to say but Ji Hoo shut her up as he picked her up again

"Why do you keep picking me up?" Mandy said as he tucked her in to her blanket

"Because you are a stubborn girl and I have to force my hand to get you to act rationally." He said as a matter of fact "And see, you didn't even protest" he said smugly

"That's because I knew what you were going to do" Mandy said as she stuck out her tongue at him and hid her face in the blanket.

"I can see that we are having a very mature discussion here" he said sarcastically

"Fine" she said exasperatedly and pulled the blanked down till her chin

"When did you get up?" Ji Hoo said as he brought her a glass of warm water

"A little while ago" she lied

"You do know that I can tell when you are lying right?"

"3 am"

"You woke at 3! You have been working for three hours! In a fever that too! Are you mad!" he shouted at her

"I didn't do all the work alone; I called one of the guards so he could help me set up the plant." She answered weakly

"Where did you get a plant anyways?" Ji Hoo asked "And all these decorations and lights, where did you get them?"

"I had actually pre-ordered all these things on a website and they arrived yesterday at my apartment. The guards at my house told me about it and I told my guys to bring them over in the night over here, so that I could surprise you. Since I'm here, I thought I could decorate your living room coz you didn't have a tree and all." She finished

"Thank you" Ji Hoo said sincerely as he took her hand and blew on it. "But this is not the way to act; you don't just spend three hours decorating the tree without any care for your health whatsoever."

"Don't worry about the fever, it'll go down after a dose your Harbeoji's magic medicine" she grinned at him

"I seriously don't understand how you can be so careless about your health" Ji Hoo said, looking at her fondly as he unconsciously started stroking her hair.

"I'll fall asleep if you do that" Mandy warned

"That is the purpose" Ji Hoo grinned at her

Mandy smiled at him and closed her eyes as she settled her head on the pillow.

She woke up after a good four hours' sleep. After having breakfast and taking her medicine, she bathed and changed into outside clothes. She then went to Ji Hoo's room

"Ji Hoo?" She said as she knocked on the door

"I'm here" came a voice from behind her "Did you need something? And why are you dressed like this?" he asked

"I need to go shopping"

"Shopping? Now, but why?" he asked

"I don't have anything to wear for tonight and I even have to buy them a housewarming gift" Mandy explained

"Okay, let me get ready; I'll be out in two minutes." He said and vanished into his room

Mandy picked up her things like mobile phone and ipad and dialed her sister's number on the mobile. She had somehow convinced her sister about her stay at Ji Hoo's and her sister had thought that it was best to keep this fact hidden from their parents. Mandy had readily agreed.

"Hi didi" Mandy said after the call connected

"Your voice is still not good. How much is your fever now?" asked Harleen in a worried tone

"It's almost gone now, and the voice is getting better"

"Don't overstress yourself. Is that guy taking good care of you?" she asked in an annoyed voice

"Yes he is. Why are you so against him?"

"He is a guy you are living with; it doesn't matter if he is your friend, he is still a guy."

"Ji Hoo is a gentleman and you know it. He won't dare try anything. He also knows that if he does try something, I'll cut his balls off" Mandy joked

"That's why I'm assured that you'll be fine, because I know that you can take care of yourself. But still, be extra careful and lock your door when you sleep."

"Okay didi; but I called to tell you that I'll be at Yi Jung's house for Christmas dinner. You know didi, Ga Eul moved in with him."

"He didn't knock the poor girl up did he?" Harleen asked

"No, at least I don't think so. I don't think he would be that careless; though you can never be sure about him when it comes to Ga Eul." Mandy contemplated

"Just tell them to be safe; and wish everyone a Merry Christmas from my side."

"Okay didi, I will; Merry Christmas to you too. Bye"

The call ended and Ji Hoo appeared out of his room dressed in white from top to bottom.

"At least your Christmas gift is final" Mandy murmured to herself

"Huh, what?" Ji Hoo said

"Nothing, let's go" Mandy said

They went to a mall where first Mandy selected a red ruffle dress for herself.

They moved onto a shoe store where she bought a pair that matched her previously bought dress. After getting out of that shop, Mandy declared that her shopping was done and Ji Hoo suggested that they go to a restaurant for lunch but Mandy refused "Let's go to a burger place instead" Mandy suggested and they ended up at a McDonald's.

"Ji Hoo, take us first to my place. I have to pick up a few things" Mandy said as they settled into his car after eating their lunch.

They were on their way there when Mandy told him to stop the car in front of a medical store.

"Are you okay?" Ji Hoo asked

"Yeah, just need to buy some essentials." She said as she got out of the car

Ji Hoo waited in the car and she got back after 5 minutes with a black poly bag rolled in her hand. Ji Hoo didn't ask anything and drove to her apartment.


End file.
